This Saturday, January 18 is the official Minnesota trout opener and I could not be more excited to get outside and start enjoying this winter. The weather has been so cold that I was forced to cancel a couple of days last week, so hopefully we can make up for the bad weather with a pleasant opening weekend.
Slush has been a big concern this season but all of the Gunflint Trail lakes that I have ridden my snowmobile on this week have been in great shape. There has been very little slush to report except where you would expect to see it. For instance, the bays on Iron Lake and Mayhew were pretty wet and the portage between Little Iron and Iron was also a little sloppy, but the bigger lakes are looking great.
Seagull, Saganaga, Gunflint, and Loon lakes are all covered with 18 inches of ice and the snow is just packed enough to walk on without falling through every step. I would not call it “easy walking” like last season’s opener but it could be worse. Snow shoes make hiking a little less painful by allowing feet to stay on top of the snow, and they help pack a trail for anyone hiking with you. If you plan to cover any distance this weekend it would be wise to bring a pair of them along.
Most of my winter is usually spent fishing on Gunflint Lake for no other reason than it is convenient and there are some giant lake trout swimming around. Gunflint has fairly clear water especially during the winter months when all of the sediment has settled to the bottom. It is a perfect lake to play with an underwater camera like the one that I just bought at the ice fishing show.
Lake trout will bite in depths ranging from 10-80 feet during the winter months and I am expecting (or hoping) the camera will perform as deep as 40 feet. I have spent so many years staring at depth-finders and graphs that it will be neat to see what is actually going on down there.
Many of the smaller lakes that have lake trout are also clear enough to utilize an underwater camera. South, Duncan, Daniels, and Rose lakes are all fairly clear and many anglers will fish for the lake trout in shallow waters ranging from 10-25 feet. These lakes are also great choices to fish with the aid of a camera. An underwater camera might not improve the bite, but at least you will be able to watch the fish refuse your offerings without having to guess if there is actually anything down there. Good luck.
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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