Cold weather is something expected in northern Minnesota and this week has been a reminder of how cold it can actually be. The high temperature on Sunday was 46 degrees and the temperature gauge on my truck was reading 43 degrees at 7 a.m. while driving to the Saganaga boat landing.
It took me a long time to realize that “traditional,” “usual,” or “normal” are not acceptable adjectives for describing the local weather. One exciting aspect of living here is that unusual is the norm.
August has become a busy month for fishing guides on the Trail and for good reason, walleyes, pike and smallmouth bass have been making a strong appearance and the action is great. The biggest smallmouth bass of the year are now hunting rock piles in search of herring on the bigger lakes, and they can be found in schools of 10 or 20 per spot. We caught a 22½-inch smally this week, the biggest I have ever seen in my boat, and it was coughing up dwarf herring that were about four inches long.
Trophy smallmouth feast on crayfish throughout the summer then transition to herring as the water temperatures begin to drop. Many of these spots are well guarded secrets because they are hard to find and can be some of the most exciting fishing of the day in late August even for a walleye snob. Action creates action when it comes to bass fishing since they typically cause a feeding frenzy by purging their stomachs while fighting the angler. The erratic behavior of a fighting bass and the regurgitated offerings will often cause the other bass to get excited and want to join in on the action.
There are a variety of baits to catch these giant bronze backs with, but I favor a jig head tipped with either a crawler or leech the best. When fish are aggressive they throw caution to the wind, I choose baits that allow me to hover over the school with the boat giving all of the anglers an equal chance at catching them before the frenzy is over.
These spots are not very big and the strikezone is a small window— so cast and retrieve or trolling methods do not work as well. The longer the bait is visible to the school, the more likely they are to hit. Vertical jigging is a very effective method for keeping baits in the strike zone for long periods which allows for more fish to be caught on the same spot. Smallmouth in the 18-inch or better length will rarely be alone this time of year so catch one and keep working that area until the school decides to jump.
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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