Each day the snow recedes we are given some more yard and driveway for the kids to play on. Reclaiming the yard from the grips of winter has been exciting to say the least.
The illusion of spring is finally upon us and the Christianson family is ready. I am calling it an “illusion” because six months of hard winter have trained me to be prudent when it comes to predicting Mother Nature’s sense of humor.
If you want to talk fishing this week, then you have fishing on the brain worse than I do. The walleye season is officially closed in both Minnesota and Canada and the Gunflint Trail lakes are too sloppy and unpredictable to be out fishing for rough fish this week. I can wait for open water.
I did make an attempt to fish on Monday which was the last day of the walleye season on border lakes, but it was too windy and the Saganaga parking lot was showing a lot of erosion. The little streams of melting snow had etched their way through the ice leaving deep cuts and channels behind. Who knows what the rest of the lake looked like. Ice melts fast and I don’t want any trouble.
The illusion of spring has also coerced many of the forest creatures out of their winter safe havens to start roaming around. Our dog Maggie has already made friends with a squirrel and a pine marten.
Maybe friends is not the right word to describe their relationship, but they do play together. They run up a tree and she sits below barking at them for hours. I have not heard of any bears waking up yet but I am sure it will not be much longer before the woods are teeming with life again.
“Unorganized territory” always seemed like a marketing ploy to convince tourists that they were actually in the woods but that could not be further from the truth. The topography, weather, and wildlife that make up the Superior National Forest are exactly as defined—unorganized.
This unpredictable section of Minnesota has been preserved for that very reason. It is a unique area that offers a variety of activities for a diverse group of people. Those groups do not always see “eye to eye” on subjects but they all seem to agree that Minnesota’s Arrowhead is a magical region that deserves special attention.
This subject has never been truer for me until having kids and watching them grow up and appreciate their surroundings. My two kids cannot wait to come home from daycare and tell me about the wildlife, whether it be a moose or a bird, that they saw on their ride home from Grand Marais each day. They love it here and I am happy to have chosen this place to call home.
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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