Gunflint Wilderness Guide Service

21/12/2024

A trailcam update from the past week. Nothing too exciting, but we did capture three lynx videos. The only canine was a lone coyote, which is surprising since we also had two wolves pass by. However, they somehow avoided all the cameras.

By the way, if you want to see additional trailcam footage from the Gunflint Trail, I highly recommend you follow Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center! They capture some pretty amazing videos!

Finally, if anyone is interested in purchasing dozens of random hare and squirrel videos, please message me! 😅 Those critters definitely aren't camera shy.

15/12/2024

A bit rusty on my first outing of the hard water season! Missed hits on the jigging rods, stolen minnows on the tip-ups, and a nice walleye lost at the hole. Even so, we managed to get one fish topside (released to fight another day)!

It felt great to be back on the ice!

13/12/2024

Maybe it comes from hearing tales of folks going through the ice when I was a kid (and sadly the occasional drowning), but you will never see me leading the charge onto early-season ice. I never fear being on lake ice, but I do have a healthy respect for it.

This weekend will be my first ice fishing outing of the season. I recently completed the annual changing of the guard - putting reels on my ice rods (I should have bought stock in St. Croix and Okuma), organized my ice tackle (I might have a tungsten obsession), broke out my cold-weather gear and boots, checked the blades on my augers, etc. and put my summer equipment into storage. I'm ready to roll!

Most importantly, I dusted off my safety gear - ice spud (chisel), ice cleats, ice picks, throw rope, whistle/compass, water/wind resistant lighter, fire starters, first aid kit, and an inReach communication device. I will also carry extra clothes in a waterproof bag, and wear my Striker Ice float suit.

I'm excited to get out fishing! Stay safe everyone!

10/12/2024

I love snowshoeing, but sometimes you just need some horsepower!

I finished clearing snow for the day, so I decided to get the Ski-Doo Expedition out of storage. I love my snowblower, but a snowmobile is definitely way more fun!

Although I do trail ride for fun, I basically own a snowmobile for one reason only - to get out ice fishing. Hopefully we get safe ice soon!

09/12/2024

This past spring I built a bait tank using an old rain barrel. For the most part it worked great, keeping my minnows and leeches alive. However, I knew the real test would be when my garage warmed in the summer. My system worked pretty well, but sure enough, I lost minnows as the temps rose. Therefore, I decided to invest in a water chiller.

Thanks to Dave at Seagull Canoe Outfitters for the tour of his awesome bait system that spurred a few ideas!

In addition to the chiller, I also made the following improvements to 'Bait Tank 2.0' - insulated the tank with foam, added a plywood housing, built an internal filter to minimize the amount of time the cold water is outside the tank, bought mesh bags to better organize and rotate my bait, and added a bigger aerator and air stone.

I trapped my latest batch of minnows over two weeks ago and not a single one has died...so we are off to a good start!

06/12/2024

We decided there is finally enough snow to warrant getting the snowshoes out of storage! The forecast calls for more snow on the way too...yay!

Taking our pup (Luna) on walks through the woods is the highlight of her day (and ours). She is a pretty good trail dog - sticks close, checks in regularly, and waits if we are lagging behind.

As a reward for making sure our property is safe from grouse and hare, she gets her dinner, often followed by a nap in front of the wood stove. Pretty simple life, but she is happy.

01/12/2024

Bring on the ice fishing season!

Ice Fishing the Boundary Waters and Other Wild Places by Joe Friedrichs | Nov 30, 2024 | Featured, Subscribers Only, The Magazine | 0 comments Experiences like these don’t happen if you’re sitting on your couch. All photos by Chad Kieper News Ice Fishing the Boundary Waters and Other Wild Places...

27/11/2024

Excited to partner with Borderland Lodge!

Located on international waters in NE Minnesota, our resort cater to relaxation, fishing, hiking and historical adventure. Fully remodeled cabins and rooms

25/11/2024

First real snowfall of the season, and we are loving it!

Cold temps moving in this week...hopefully we will be ice fishing soon!

19/11/2024

Wandering the woods yesterday I came across something I have never observed before. Along a clearing in the woods, at the base of a rock ridge, I found dozens of fuzzy clusters hanging in the trees. They looked like something Dr. Seuss would create.

Upon closer inspection these fuzzballs grew from vines entangled around multiple trees. It is hard to ID a plant without its leaves or flowers, but from doing a bit of digging, I believe these are Purple Clematis (Clematis occidentalis).

Nature notes -

Purple Clematis is considered rare and endangered across much of its native range, which extends from Minnesota toward the the East Coast, and north into Canada. It is a climbing perennial, with multiple vines extending from a woody base. According to Dr. Google, this plant prefers a habitat of "calcareous cliffs, rock ledges, talus slopes, gravelly embankments, rocky woods, and clearings", which describes where I found this plant perfectly.

It blooms in May-June, and from pictures I found, it puts out beautiful 1.5"-2" pinkish-to-purple flowers which droop downward. I hope to visit this site in the springtime to see if I can catch a glimpse!

Shown in the pictures are the resulting seeds from this years flowers. The wispy, feathery 'wings' are attached to the seeds, and eventually they will be carried by the wind, to hopefully find a safe place to germinate. A common form of seed dispersal used by more familiar plants, such as dandelions and milkweed.

17/11/2024

I was joined by three unexpected visitors while kayaking. Great way to start the day!

This mama moose led her two calves across a narrow part of the lake. What amazed me was the fact she knew exactly where the shallow water was located. No swimming required. This is clearly her home turf.

All three looked healthy, but I was concerned about a patch of hair missing on the cows shoulder. I hope its nothing.

16/11/2024

The last supermoon of the season appeared last night, accompanied by several beautiful halos.

Field notes -

The orbit of the moon is an ellipse, moving closer or further away as it travels. When a full moon coincides with its nearest point to earth (called its perigee), it is referred to as a 'supermoon'. They appear ~14% brighter, and ~7% larger than your average full moon. The next supermoon won't be until October 2025.

All supermoons seem to have many names, usually based upon what is happening in the natural world at the time. A few of the names associated with last nights include - 'beaver' moon, 'frost' moon, or 'whitefish' moon. All three seem appropriate - the beaver are definitely working at a furious pace, our deck is covered with frost in the morning, and the whitefish are spawning.

15/11/2024

I kayaked out yesterday to watch my trail 'neighbors' check their whitefish nets. I've never observed gill-netting before, so I was thrilled to watch it firsthand. They had success and it was a good start to their season! They generously gave me one to bring home, and my wife and I dined on tasty fishcakes last night.

Field Notes -

Lake Whitefish are members of the Salmon family and are closely related to Cisco (Tullibee). They require cold, well-oxygenated water. They make excellent table fare.

Whitefish have a down-turned mouth (i.e. an overbite) which gives a clue to how they feed, which is predominately on the bottom. Their preferred diet includes insect larvae, snails, clams, small fish, etc., basically anything they can get into their relatively small mouths. They can get over 10-pounds, but the average whitefish in most inland lakes are usually in the 2-5 pound range.

They spawn this time of year in shallow water over gravel, rocky areas when the water temps drop to around 40-45 degrees, often finishing their breeding under the first ice of the season. They are one of the few fish that move shallow this time of year (~1-6 feet of water), which is why the gill-netting season coincides with their spawn. Most game fish move deeper as the water cools, thus minimizing their accidental by-catch in the gill nets.

10/11/2024

I went for a morning hike to clear my head. I came across this beautiful little contorted Jack pine growing out of solid granite. The sunrise broke over the horizon the moment I passed by, illuminating it perfectly, and giving me pause.

This tree isn't entirely unique, as there are tens of thousands of stunted trees all over the BWCAW and Superior National Forest - white pine, red pine, cedars, tamarack, spruce, etc. The most famous probably being the 'witch tree' which grows on the shore of Lake Superior, near Grand Portage.

However, I tried to take a moment to ponder the sequences that lead to this specific little tree - glaciers scraped this rock bare, thousands of years of weathering by water and lichens weakened the granite, freeze/thaw cycles caused a crack to develop, organic debris slowly accumulated to create 'soil', and a single Jack pine seed made an unlikely journey and sprouted.

I have no idea how old this tree might be. This area burned in 2007, so chances are its no more than 17 years old. However, if this little tree survived the fire, it could be significantly older. Trees under these tough conditions grow very slowly and remain stunted, but may still be hundreds of years old.

Whatever its age, I applaud this tenacious little tree. It lives alone on a bare rock, completely exposed to the elements, scraping by on limited resources, surviving everything nature has thrown at it, and yet it somehow finds a way to hold on.

10/11/2024

Fun working with Joe and the P&P crew on this article!

04/11/2024

That's a wrap! Yesterday was my last outing in a motorboat for the 2024 open-water season.

My goal was to catch at least one walleye. Technically the outing was a success, but this little guy wasn't exactly what I had in mind. They can't all be winners.

Time to dust off the ice fishing gear!