The first real cold front of the season snuck through leaving a glistening sunrise of frost-covered ground in its wake. Chilly mornings are par for the fall and are usually accompanied by fog in the valleys until the sun makes an appearance and melts it all away.
Water temperatures on Saganaga dropped to the low 60s causing fish to descend into more traditional fall patterns. I have enjoyed the extended summer this year and being able to catch walleyes in shallow water has been an added bonus to the beautiful weather.
As the fish follow the bait into deeper water each day they will eventually find a depth around 50 feet to spend the winter months feasting on minnows until the water warms again next summer. Walleyes actually bite better in the deeper water but very few anglers target them past 30 feet for a number of reasons including: they are harder to find, harder to present a bait to, harder to “set the hook” properly, and even harder to release unharmed.
Finding deep fish is admittedly difficult but many of the better deep spots are simply extensions of a good shallow spot. Summer-time rock piles that are shallower usually have deep water surrounding them and can hold fish along their perimeters in the fall. Heavy jig heads from 1/4 – 3/8 oz. tipped with minnows are heavy enough to reach 40-50 feet of water and proper boat control is essential to staying on top of the fish, which takes practice.
Setting the hook is very difficult with traditional monofilament so I spool the reels with 12-pound test braided “no-stretch” line which increases the sensitivity and aids in hooking fish. I add a couple of feet of monofilament leader to make the braided line less visible, and allow break-offs when snagged without cutting your fingers off on the thin braid. This can be done with a barrel swivel, which is always a good way to eliminate line twist, or tie directly to the braid with a uni to uni knots that are shown on most packages of braided line.
Releasing fish that have been caught in deep water is possible and starts with the fight. Bring the fish up slowly to allow them to change pressure and ultimately aid in the healthy release. Rubbing their heads quickly with your finger before shooting them down into the water head first also seems to help them kick away strongly. They do not always make it, but these tricks will help.
Hawg Report
released
September 23
. Cory Christianson 28-inch walleye Northern Light
. Denny Renkiewicz 30-inch walleye Northern Light
September 24
. Eric Anderson 28 ½-inch walleye Northern Light
September 29
. Jack Carr 28 ½- inch walleye Northern Light
Cory Christianson has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If you have any fishing or wildlife reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@hotmail.com or call 218- 388-0315. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
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