I managed one last day on Saganaga Lake this past weekend and the walleyes decided to cooperate! We managed a respectable limit and the wind let up just long enough to make the day quite enjoyable.
After the high winds, I was very surprised to see that many of the birch leaves had not blown off yet. Brilliant gold leaves against a background of old Jack pines painted a memorable image that will hopefully last the entire winter. It seems like I forget what things look like after six months of snow, but I think this image should get me into February at least.
Tamarack trees along the Gunflint Trail have finally started showing some real color, but many of them are still partially green. Other areas have no leaves to speak of and if there are any still hanging, they look very dried out and wilted. The unseasonably warm weather in late September may have been the cause for this unusual fall, but I cannot remember a season where all of the trees peaked at different times.
Photo courtesy of Gunflint Pines Kelly Holmin, 12, of Nicollet, MN, with the moose she shot in the Greenwood Lake area. The moose had a 58-inch antler spread. Her father is a taxidermist and the family plans to do a whole mount of the moose head.
Saganaga was still very pretty and just the way I like to remember it for the season, beautiful and productive. The fish were fat and healthy looking and their stomachs were jammed full of minnows.
The water temperatures were around 48 degrees on the surface so the lake still has a lot of cooling off to do before we start to see any signs of winter. I would not be surprised if the lake trout have not come up to spawn yet, but there is no legal way to really tell. You might get lucky and spot them on some very shallow reefs, but they are usually spooked easily and you would only be harassing them.
I have tried to find out more about the “sawdust walleye” that I wrote about last week and so far I have not learned anything that is substantiated. However, it used to be seen in fish from Northern Lights Lake more often than on Saganaga and usually only in larger fish. The fish appear completely healthy, but have an inedible sawdust type of meat. We probably do not see it as often anymore because people are so much more conscientious about returning larger fish. I will keep investigating and let you know what
can find out.
It will not be long before Trail Center closes for the season and that really makes things feel quiet around here. Sort of like you are in an amusement park by yourself.
Hungry Jack Lodge is very close to completion and the bar is quite a sight. I don’t want to ruin any surprises for you, so you will just have to go and see the place for yourself. I can tell you that the pool table takes dollar bills and makes change for you. How cool is that? No more waiting in line for quarters! See you there.
Cory Christianson, a 2000
Graduate of the University of
Iowa, has worked as a fishing
guide on the Gunflint Trail for
nine years. If you have any fishing
reports or stories to share,
send an email to: christiansoncory@
hotmail.com or call 218-
388-0315
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