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13/01/2025

The latest trail camera footage from the past week. I hope you enjoy it!

12/01/2025

Finally getting some much needed snow along the trail! It started falling as we left the lake yesterday evening, and hasn't stopped. Beautiful out there right now.

We went exploring and managed a few fish for our efforts.

08/01/2025

Beautiful moon halo yesterday evening as we were coming off the lake. We were scouting a brand new fishing spot. Got skunked on walleye, but not all fish-less outings are a failure. It was an absolutely stunning winter hike back to the landing, and not a soul around....I'll take it!

Field notes - according to AI:

The ice crystals in cirrus clouds act like a lens, bending the light from the moon to create the halo. The ice crystals are usually hexagonal, which is why the moon's halo is almost always the same size, with a diameter of 22°. Moon halos are more visible during the colder, winter months, and around a full moon. The ice crystals that create the halo are usually between 20,000 and 40,000 feet above the observer.

05/01/2025

Chilly day with clients yesterday in the BWCAW...temps starting out at -11, and wind gusts over 20mph. Certainly glad to have portable ice houses and propane heaters! It warmed to a balmy 'zero' by the time we broke camp and hiked out.

Fishing started fast, with lake trout zipping everywhere on the fish finder. Two fish landed, several lost on the way up, and about a half-dozen followers. I thought we were going to be in for a great half-day, but as quickly as they started, the fish shut down.

We threw everything at them - live bait, salted bait, tip-ups, the entire tackle-box, etc. it didn't make a difference. This was one of those days when the fish simply turned-off. Unfortunately that sometimes happen.

At one point, two of us scouted other historic hot-spots on the lake, and only marked a single fish for our efforts. We had to make pit-stops back in the ice houses to thaw the fishing gear and warm up.

The highlight for me was watching Bo (age 7) enjoy his first 'big kid' ice-fishing trip into the BWCAW with his dad and uncle! He did great...the kid is definitely wired to fish!

03/01/2025

Pretty cool footage this past week!

My favorite videos are the ermine and fisher...its rare that I capture them on film. We had a big wolf come through too (at least its paw tracks were huge), but they are smart, and unfortunately very camera shy.

Considering how many animals we have around here, I am always amazed at how rare it is to actually see them live. It is big, wild country up here and many critters travel long distances to eke out a living. What we see on the trail cameras are simply snapshots of them passing through.

I hope you enjoy this video.

02/01/2025

Solid start to the BWCAW trout season!

Steve landed his PB 17" brook trout, and I managed my second biggest (17.25"). These fish would not be considered trophies in other parts of North America, but they are respectable for our local waters.

Throw in a light snowfall, otter tracks, visits by Whisky Jacks, beautiful scenery, decent portage conditions, good company, etc. and it made for a spectacular day!

One interesting note - the two trout we kept were literally packed with what looked like water boatman. They also had a few crayfish and minnow parts too. These fish were definitely eating good in the neighborhood!

30/12/2024

Recent rain and warm weather didn't do us any favors. A few local lakes are covered in water. The ice wants to float, and the water wants to sink, setting the stage for 'toilet bowl' fishing! A bit annoying, but certainly fun to watch.

Luckily, the snow in our woods mostly survived, but lakes are back to being bare. That isn't entirely a bad thing. With colder temps moving into the region this week, and no insulating snow on the lakes, we will be making a ton of new ice! It should be good for ice skating too!

However, we definitely need more snow.

22/12/2024

Winter solstice walleye!

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!

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55604

Website

https://www.gunflintwild.com/

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