I woke up at 5:30 this morning with a fully illuminated bedroom. Our picture window displayed the brightest moon I have ever seen. It was so big and detailed that I felt I could have touched it. The frost-covered landscape reflected the moonlight to every corner of our house, leaving few shadows. Twenty minutes later the moon set on the horizon while the sunlight broke through the trees. What a morning.
Rising early for a day of fishing is nothing new in my household, but lately these hasty efforts have proven to be unnecessary. The midday bite has been the most productive this week with very little happening in the morning. I think the big moon has altered the normal feeding schedule. If fish are feeding heavily during the bright moonlit nights, it would make sense that the morning bite is off.
The fish I caught this week have had fairly empty stomachs, which leads one to think they were just beginning to feed when they were caught. If a fish has a very full stomach then it was caught during its prime feeding time for that day. This can change daily so it is not always helpful information, but it is nice to know what they have been eating.
I have been avoiding the big lakes this season for long enough. It was time for an adventure so we saddled up for Canada. I purchased my Canadian fishing license on-line this year and was very impressed with the new system. The website allowed me to renew my outdoors card for the next three years, and purchase a three-year Ontario fishing license for about $250. The temporary license is instantly printable and valid until the hard copy arrives in the mail. The entire process was painless, and now I do not have to worry about it for the next three years
Some friends and I took the trip up to Northern Light Lake and had some moderate success. We were the first to arrive at Hoof Creek and something seemed wrong. We had the spot to ourselves. Within the hour, anglers began trickling in. By lunchtime there were about 30 people fishing around us. The game warden stopped by to check our licenses and chat about the slushy conditions. We had not caught any fish yet, so there was not much for him to check. The bite finally picked up midday, like it had all week on other lakes, and we started catching lake trout and whitefish. We also caught a few perch, northern, and one walleye. Not as productive as I was hoping for, but a good day.
A little later this season Hoof Creek will begin to shine with whitefish and walleyes. The fish came through in waves while traveling the mouth of the river in search of smelt and herring. The walleye we caught did not bite until 4 p.m. which is pretty traditional up here. It is hard to find an active walleye midday, luckily the other species have been cooperating. It was a fun trip. But I think I will wait for the conditions to get better before going again. Heavy slush burns up a lot more gas, and the lakes that I fish closer to home have been producing just fine.
The ride up to N.L. took about 40 minutes from the Sag landing. Usually this ride is quicker, but the Canadian side of Sag has a lot of slush. The Minnesota corridor had no slush, but as soon as you crossed the border through Jock’s Narrows it was everywhere. The pockets of slush are big, but not very deep since we have been in such a drought this winter. You just have to power through the soft spots. The worst areas were around Finn’s Narrows in the Northeast arm, and the portage bay on N.L. Look out for a pressure ridge that stands a couple of feet tall, running east and west across a good portion of Trafalgar Bay.
It was not the most comfortable ride, but it was well worth the extra effort.
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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