Last week Devil Track Lake turned dark gray and spongy indicating the beginning stages of iceout, and little has changed since then. Cold temperatures and an additional foot of snow have hindered the melting process while leaving many folks wondering, “where can we fish on opening weekend?”
Gunflint Trail lakes are beginning to open up, but the bigger lakes are still showing a lot of ice to melt before Saturday. Seagull Lake is open to the islands, Saganaga Lake is open to Clark’s Island, and Gunflint Lake is open past the Gunflint Pines and working its way east. Some of the smaller lakes are open already including Iron, Leo, Extortion, and Swamper so there will be somewhere to fish opening day.
I plan to spend the weekend opening our restaurant and celebrating the “other” holiday this weekend, Mother’s Day, instead of battling the elements in a fishing boat. Late ice means cold water and fish don’t like to be very active until the lake warms sometime after the walleye spawn.
Minnows are the best bait for cold water and slow presentations like Lindyrigs work the best when they are not in the mood to chase down their next meal.
Lake Superior has been getting some action, especially closer to Duluth, where anglers are lining the shorelines throwing flies at steelhead as they run the rivers to spawn. I have never tried this type of fishing, but it looks like it could be a lot of fun. I have always been interested in tributary fishing, especially since there is little to do in April, but I bought a lodge and now my Aprils are fully scheduled with winter repairs and summer preparations— maybe I will save it for a retirement hobby.
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. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
Leave a Reply