The temperatures are getting colder every day with highs reaching only a couple of degrees above zero, but that has not put a damper on all of the fun activities up here. My wife, Rachelle has managed to do some cross-country skiing and the ice fishing has been pretty good so far.
It is certainly much more difficult to manage our play time with the newborn, but we still have to get out of the house every now and again. We take turns with Sophia so that we can still both enjoy some free time. I honestly do not know how else anyone could do it. We love her to death, but sometimes she just wants to be fussy and we want to pull our hair out. Usually she is very good and it is amazing to watch her development each day.
Our winter activities differ a little since I love to fish and Rachelle loves to hike and ski, but we both have to stay warm while doing what we love. Minnesotans are all used to some pretty low temperatures and the key is to be prepared. Dress appropriately and you can really enjoy being outdoors in the midst of winter.
What else are you going to do, sit and watch television until May? Staying active this time of year is a great way to see the things that you cannot see as easily in the summer. I have taken routes on my snowmobile that I would never even think of doing on foot. Everything looks different when covered with a fresh blanket of snow and the only tracks around are from the wildlife.
The customers I just took fishing this week from Gunflint Lodge also went cross-country skiing and said they saw a pack of wolves on their trail. I am not into such physical activity but I can see how stealth-like mobility through the woods would allow one to see a lot of wildlife. Zipping along on a snowmobile usually scares away any animals before you get a chance to see them.
Fishing has not been phenomenal by any means, but they are biting just enough to keep it fun. I think my expectations are usually greater than my results, but it is still worth doing. Birch Lake has been giving up some really nice rainbows this year and it is a small enough lake that they usually are not too hard to find. Live minnows on a jig head seem to work the best for me, but a lot of people prefer the bare hook with a split shot sinker instead. It is a little more fun to feel the bite with a jig, but I know that a “dead stick” can be very productive at times. My last couple days of guiding have both been on Gunflint and the bite is much slower there. People generally prefer big fish and Gunflint Lake has some beautiful lake trout in the five-to-10-pound class. It is worth giving up some action to be able to fight a fish for five minutes in 35 feet of water. Most of the bites have come from using the “dead stick” method.
I hook a live minnow to a jig head and drop it down about 10 feet below the surface, no matter what depth I am actually in. Trout like to use the surface as an ambush spot just like they do the bottom. Pretty soon the rod just bends over and you quickly pick it up and set the hook. I like to use the little metal rod holders and a long soft rod so that they do not feel so much resistance while inhaling the minnow. Not the most exciting way to fish, but anything that will bend a rod is fun to me.
Cory Christianson, a graduate of the University of Iowa, has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. 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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