Double the fun this weekend on the Gunflint Trail with two big events that are scheduled to happen. The Dog Days of Winter will be held all day Sunday at Trail Center (which my family is very excited to attend) and the Trout Derby will be on Gunflint Lake Sunday.
March is a good month for winter events since there is a chance of having fair weather and the forecast for this weekend looks nice. I would expect to see a good turnout for both events.
Stable weather this week should get the lakers in the mood to eat, but you never know. I have been fishing Gunflint Lake lately with a little success, but nothing to brag about. The fish that are caught have bellies full of smelt ranging from 2-4 inches in length, but they are being picky about what they are willing to eat.
Many of my favorite baits are not working well. The fish are curious enough to give buckshot spoons a look but they refuse to seal the deal. Gunflint Lake trout are turning their noses up to many different baits including live minnows
Flashy smelt-like jigging spoons like a Swedish Pimple or Crippled Herring get their attention and have been more productive than the rest of my arsenal, but they don’t take them every time.
I don’t want to give up all of my secrets right before the Derby, but I am often surprised at things the trout are willing to eat and even more surprised at what they refuse to eat. It is anybody’s game but you cannot win if you do not enter. See you there!
Gunflint Lake is a great place to host the derby because it has the potential of giving up a really big lake trout, and it has a lot of acreage to fish. The number of hooks that will be in the water during the Trout Derby makes me believe that a trophy laker will be caught one of these years and with the nice weather it could easily be this one.
All of the bigger lakes have some trophy lake trout wandering around and Gunflint has been known to give up some giants. Twenty-pound trout are rare but not unheard of while the true giants over 25 are a “once in a lifetime” fish for most anglers.
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.
Leave a Reply