Gunflint Wilderness Guide Service (2024)

16/11/2023

I couldn't resist the warm weather...had to get out in the boat one last time!

There was a skim-layer of ice in a few spots, but nothing too bad. It was worth it, landed a nice meal of crappie. Gorgeous afternoon to be on the water.

This time of year the crappie have settled into their winter pattern, which involves schooling up in deep water basins. Finding them on the locator was easy, coaxing them to bite took a bit more finesse.

Looks like next week the cold temps will return, let the freeze-up begin. Bring on ice fishing...woo-hoo!

07/11/2023

Next time you are hiking in the Boreal forest, take time to look down (for many folks that may be over 6 months from now!). There is literally an entire ecosystem at your feet that outpaces the tree/shrub diversity surrounding you.

Minnesota is home to 100's-1000's of different species of ferns, lichens, and Bryophytes (liverworts, hornworts, and mosses). Often within a single square foot you will see dozens of species competing for the same patch of real estate.

Lichens in particular have a fascinating life history - certain species are actually two organisms living in a symbiotic relationships - algae (or cyanobacteria) and fungi. Having chlorophyll, the algae are able to conduct photosynthesis to create 'food' the fungus can utilize. In return, the fungus provides a home and useful byproducts for the algae. This is a similar situation to corals and their photosynthetic partners (zooxanthellae) - in fact, I think lichen colonies look a lot like coral reefs growing on land!

Another important role lichens play in the ecosystem is the creation of soil, as they are able to slowly break down solid rock over long periods of time.

06/11/2023

Rarely seen, but quite common in Minnesota, the nocturnal 'flying squirrel' is an amazing little creature! I got lucky and my trail cameras is set up near where one lives, and I often get cute videos of it scurrying around.

There are two types of flying squirrels in Minnesota - the southern and northern, which are distinguished by location, vocalization, and body size.

The flying squirrels don't actually 'fly' but rather glide using large folds of skin stretched between their front and back legs (called a 'patagium'). They can glide for 100's of feet, but generally only go short distances between trees.

True omnivores, these critters eat bugs, lichens, nuts, mushrooms, bird eggs, berries, and sometimes will scavenge meat. They do not hibernate in the winter, but will go into a state of 'tupor' when conditions get really cold. They also huddle up together in nests or tree cavities to share body heat.

If you want to learn more about them, the Minnesota DNR has some great information:

https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/mcvmagazine/young_naturalists/young-naturalists-article/flyingsquirrels/marapr2019_young_naturalist.pdf

05/11/2023

With our temps swinging from above freezing in the daytime, and below at night, you get some pretty crazy water/ice things happening!

Came across a number of ice formations yesterday, made up of long filamentous crystals, often with soil capping the tops of them. Probably a combination of things at play to create these structures - crystal growth, selective melting, shading, etc. Whatever the process, they look like mini-versions of Superman's fortress of solitude!

There are also a lot of examples of stones that appear to be melting into the ground. The same thing is happening on parts of our gravel driveway. What appears to be happening is the material around the stones if being lifted. My best guess...moisture seeps/collects around the rocks during the warm part of the day, and when it freezes at night, it lifts up the surrounding soil.

05/11/2023

Packed a lunch and headed into the wilderness yesterday with a buddy. No particular destination, other than wandering to see what we could see.

Ever since I took the geology field trip at Chik-Wauk, I have been trying to keep a keen eye on unique rock formations I come across. I have no idea what the actual geologic definitions are for these rocks, so forgive me if I use the wrong terminology...

Found really cool examples of sedimentary rock, which indicates layers that were put down over time and eventually pressed into solid rock. Perhaps on the bottom of an ancient lake or sea that once covered Minnesota.

My favorite of the day were amorphous conglomerations of different rocks fused together. This could be the result of the same violent process I mentioned in a previous post about the Sudbury asteroid impact. You can clearly see folds, waves, and chunks of different types of rocks that don't appear to have any relation to each other. It is mind boggling to think of rock as a liquid, but anyone who has visited the Hawaiian islands knows this to be true.

The pic with the 'bullseye' looking object might actually be a fossilized Stromatolite, which is a type of algal-colony that can still be found growing in shallow seas today. Other rock formations nearby have these features, so its not out of the question. I have a fossilized Stromatolite that a friend found in a field in southern Minnesota, so they can be found in other parts of our state too.

28/10/2023

Ruffed grouse get most of the attention in northern Minnesota, but we have another iconic species up here...the Spruce grouse (Falcipennis canadensis).

Similar to the lynx and the moose, we are on the southern edge of their natural range, but populations are managing to hold-on locally.

Aptly named, Spruce grouse are found almost exclusively in conifer forests and feed heavily on needles, although they do mix up their diet with plant leaves, berries, insects, etc. One of their other defining features is their tameness around humans, and it is common to walk within a few feet of them before they move. As an example, I took this picture yesterday...I went right up to it and it just sat there watching me until I left. Subtle colors, but beautiful birds nonetheless.

Little is known about the distribution and diversity of Spruce grouse in Minnesota. Over the past several years, the Minnesota DNR has been conducting research to learn more. A part of the study involved a genetic analysis of feathers submitted by hunters. This was a cool 'citizen science' opportunity and I was more than happy to submit feathers!

The results of the study can be found here:

https://queticosuperior.org/spruce-grouse-study-finds-relatively-stable-population/

26/10/2023

I heard the word 'snow' used for the first time today on the local weather report, so I was happy to get my new storage shed completed just in time!

Appropriate to the Halloween season, this is a true Frankenstein of a building cobbled together with ~80% of the materials either recycled, reused, repurposed, salvaged from other projects, or obtained from folks looking to get rid of stuff. I freely admit I have a bit of a hoarding problem when it comes to lumber!

Not entirely sure what it will ultimately be used for, but I built it with a screened side opening, as it might eventually become my fish cleaning shack (good ventilation is a must!). At the moment its immediate destiny is to house a bunch of junk I no longer want in my garage.

26/10/2023

Walking around the woods this time of year it is hard not to notice all the mushrooms hanging in the trees. This is the work of our very active, noisy neighbors...the red squirrels.

According to biologists, their goal is to dry out the mushrooms before storing them in their many winter food caches. Then again, maybe the little rodents get more than just sustenance from these fungi? Its their life, I'm not judging.

One thing I do know...they are NOT cool with you watching them stashing their shrooms! They chatter loudly, get very jittery, and basically let you know you are not welcomed in their territory. I hope they take a different tone when they realize I'm the guy who fills the bird feeder all winter.

24/10/2023

Ever wonder how the DNR stocks the stream trout lakes in our area? This is one way!

A few years ago I was lucky enough to get advanced notice from a neighbor about an impending airdrop and captured this video.

It is amazing the fingerlings can survive being dumped from this height, but from published studies, the mortality rate is surprinsingly low. Tough little fish!

24/10/2023

I had a great time with my nephew this past weekend...always fun having him visit!

We experienced nearly every type of fall weather...warm/sunny, cold/wet, windy, foggy, etc. the only thing missing was snow, but that will come soon enough.

Did a bit of fishing and grouse hunting with a nice mix of brook trout, walleye, smallmouth, pike and crappie.

One of the highlights for me was carrying the .22 rifle I grew up hunting with as a kid. It was my Grandpa's, and Jack is now the 4th generation to use it. Nothing special about the old Re*****on, other than the nostalgia and family history. Although it is still deadly accurate for a peep-sight rifle made in the 40's!

18/10/2023

Neither Kris or I have ever caught a 'splake', so we took a half-day trip to explore in the BWCAW and see if we could catch a few...success!

From what I understand, these are pretty small by splake standards, but being the first we've ever caught they are our personal bests! Now we need to work to improve on those records. We kept a few for dinner...the color on the fillets was gorgeous!

So what are splake?

Splake (Salvelinus – namaycush x fontinalis) are an artificial cross between a male brook trout and a female lake trout. The ‘sp’ is derived from the combination of ‘speckled trout’ which is the Canadian name for brook trout, and the ‘lake’ comes from lake trout.

This hybrid possesses many desirable traits that make it popular – it grows faster than either of the parent species, longer lived than brook trout, grows bigger than brook trout, and readily hits lures and bait.

Several lakes along the Gunflint Trail are stocked exclusively with splake.

18/10/2023

This past weekend my wife and I spent the day attending a geology field trip along the Gunflint Trail. We were really excited to take this course...and it didn't disappoint! It has given us an entirely new perspective about the ground we hike upon.

The highlight for me was observing the layers of rock that were the result of a meteor impact that hit near Sudbury, Ontario. It is estimated to be the third largest meteor to hit our planet and was powerful enough to completely alter the oceans chemistry. Its effects can be seen in the blast material ('ejecta') it deposited through the air, and by the contorted rocks caused by shock waves, both of which can be found along the Gunflint Trail...hundreds of miles away...incredible!

A huge thanks to Chik-Wauk for hosting the event and to Dr. John Craddock for taking time out of his weekend to teach us all something new!

18/10/2023

I've been busy around the house getting things ready for winter, but have been able to sneak out fishing for a few hours here and there.

Happy to report bigger than average size to both the walleye and smallmouth. October fishing is awesome...when the weather cooperates!

18/10/2023

Even though the Aurora get all the headlines, the Milky Way is breathtaking in its own right!

We are lucky enough to live in the heart of one of the darkest sky's in North America. Just looking up from our deck at night can be awe inspiring. I took these pics with my crappy iPhone, and they still turned out okay, that is how intense the stars were that night.

08/10/2023

Kris' friend Christina came up for a few days of fishing and outdoor time. Sadly, the weather kept everyone indoors more than we would have liked, but they made the most of things when they could be outside!

The bull moose aren't the only critters showing off this time of year, the male brook trout are looking impressive too! Their colors were absolutely stunning in person, and a few had formed impressive hooked jaws too (called a 'kype')!

We chased a few other species too, but the brookies were definitely the highlight!

04/10/2023

I am not going to lie, coyotes are my least favoriate North American canine, although I have to hand it to them, they are survivors!

When we bought our place 8 years ago, we had fox and wolves, but no coyotes, but now its the opposite. From talking to folks, it seems wolves will tolerate fox, but not coyotes, and coyotes won't tolerate fox. That seems to be our experience.

We've had a breeding pair of coyotes around our place for at least the past 2-3 years. The female in particular is easy to identify, as she has a prominent white 'crescent' band across her back. You can readily see it in the night video.

I haven't looked for it yet, but it seems they have a den nearby. In the last video, I took a recording from our deck. To my untrained ear, it sounds like pups getting excited when the adults return home. You can also hear our labrador (Luna) barking to let them know who is boss!

04/10/2023

Mark and Barbara were hoping to spend a relaxing half-day on the water, catch enough for a fish fry with guests, and see some wildlife. Happy to report we achieved all three!

No doubt the highlight was seeing the bull, cow, and calf swimming. Here are a few additional pics of the bull from Mark's camera (which had a MUCH better lens than my iPhone). Thanks for sharing Mark!

Despite having a Badger and Wildcat in my boat, this Gopher had a great time with these folks! Please come back anytime.

03/10/2023

Impressive bull moose!

Captured this video last year, but during this same week. Since I wasn't on social media last year, I thought I would share it now!

03/10/2023

The moose rut is definitely on!

Saw an incredible site this morning...a bull moose was swimming after a cow (with her calf in tow)! I don't know how that bull kept his head above water for so long, but when he hit shore he lingered for a good long time to catch its breath.

03/10/2023

Even though it still feels like summer, these guys know winter isn't far away! Busy filling up their cupboards for the long freeze-up ahead.

In the first video we thought we heard a moose crashing on shore, until this beefy beaver showed up pulling his dinner out of the woods.

The second video is a beaver I had to wait to clear the boat landing. This is the kind of 'traffic jam' I don't mind! Usually its someone who is stuggling to back their trailer.

30/09/2023

After a morning of fishing, we hit the woods to round out our 'surf and turf' day...success!

30/09/2023

I can't believe I have been hunting and fishing with Steve for over 30 years! Great guy, great friend, great sportsman! I hope we are still able to do these adventures for another 30 years!

29/09/2023

This was a beauty to catch and release!

28/09/2023

Fun multi-species day with Jim and Linda! I really enjoyed the morning with these two!

26/09/2023

My PB* smallmouth for the season so far...just shy of 20 inches. Not what most would consider a BWCAW 'trophy' but a nice football nonetheless.

A lot of walleye folks dislike smallies, but I love them. Pound-for-pound they might be the hardest fighting fish in our local waters. They also readily smash surface lures, which is about as fun as it gets!

*'PB' is shorthand for 'personal best'...not peanut butter! 🙂

26/09/2023

Even the pitcher plants are putting on their fall colors!

The recent rain definitely helped fill them back up. In the final pic, you can clearly see the white, down-turned hairs that help stop insects trying to climb out.

Perfectly designed passive, bug-killing machines.

25/09/2023

After spending the day getting wet and cold in the boat, we got lucky when the rain broke long enough to have a campfire.

Anyone who has camped in these kinds of conditions knows exactly how good this moment felt!

25/09/2023

The weather didn't do us any favors - cold, wet, and windy for two days straight, but my buddy Kevin and I still had a blast camping! Couldn't beat the splashes of fall color either.

At one point we were stormed off the water for several hours, but luckily we had a growler of Voyageur beer to keep us occupied as we sat in the screen tent, sorted through tackle, and tried solving the worlds problems (we were unsuccessful).

Considering the conditions, the fishing was solid - the trout bite was crazy good and we simply stopped fishing for them to go do other things. At one point we had several doubles on the line. Kept two eaters for the cooler, and the rest went back.

The walleye were harder to come by, but we managed to boat at least a dozen. Several medium sized bass, and a couple respectable pike rounded out the trip!

24/09/2023

These baby beaver sure were curious!

I was watching a beaver family on the far end of the pond when these two little ones spotted me and swam right up. They were clearly curious about what I was, and what I was doing on their pond (the answer - looking for moose). They watched me for a bit, gave a few nervous tail slaps, and then swam back to mom and dad.

Interestingly, beaver live in family units of 2-8 individuals called a colony. The colony consists of the breeding adults, and a generation or two of their young. Once the little beaver become mature, they venture off to establish their own colonies. This time of year they can be found busily harvesting, and sinking, branches to serve as their winter food source under the ice.

24/09/2023

It is happening!

After months of lighting candles, playing smooth jazz, and spiking a bit of Cabernet into my worm farm...the next generation of night crawlers have finally arrived!

The parents look slimy, but proud...and yes, I did wash my hands afterwards.

22/09/2023

I love chatting with folks who have been fishing their whole lives. One universal thing I've noticed is they get nearly as excited talking about a good day catching bluegills and catfish as they do about more elaborate trips chasing tuna, dorado, halibut, yellowtail, grouper, sailfish, etc.

Fishing is fishing, and when you have the bug, you just love doing it, no matter the species!

Bob, Joel, and Tom fall into that camp...seasoned fisherman with a lot of impressive catches under their belts, who simply love to fish. Thanks guys for letting me help create a few new memories from this little corner of the world.

22/09/2023

Down near the big lake they call Gitche Gumee, you see entire forests of brilliant maples this time of year, but around our neck of the woods its usually small pockets tucked here and there.

Personally, I think the juxtaposition of one or two maples standing against all the evergreens makes them even more impressive!

19/09/2023

Folks are posting some great pics from the Aurora last night! I thought I would throw a few into the mix too.

14/09/2023

I've said it before, and I mean it, the best part about being a guide is the amazing people you get to know along the way!

For a brief time your life intersects with folks you may never otherwise meet - you get to have enjoyable conversations, learn about their lives, share some laughs, make fun new memories, and have a small adventure together.

Henry, Vickie, Mark and Lou - thanks for letting me share a bit of your vacation time in the north woods. Everyone should be so lucky in life to have friendships, and travel companions, like you all have in each other!

10/09/2023

Sharing the BWCAW with folks never gets old!

There is something therapeutic about slowing down, paddling along granite cliffs, drifting past giant pines and cedars, listening to the loons, and just soaking in nature. You can't help but relax.

Had a great kayak paddle with Margo and her brother Sedg...thanks for a great outing!

08/09/2023

Fall is definitely in the air, and the temps are cooling off, but the walleye are heating up!

Kris and I were able to get out for a few hours to help celebrate our anniversary 'week'...15 great years together! Love you!

If I had to pick my favorite time of year to chase walleye its from Labor Day until the end of October. Beautiful colors, cooler temps, and the fish get very active...looking forward to the next few weeks!

05/09/2023

Just wrapped up a tiring, but awesome, five days of guiding!

At one point the trips jumped from motorboat, to kayaks, to canoes...all in a three day stretch, on three different lakes. First time that has happened. Met some amazing people along the way!

I love the variety...definitely keeps things fresh and interesting!

03/09/2023

What a great experience fishing with Scott and Will!

These guys were awesome to have in the boat, and luckily the fish showed up for some great multi-species action!

We cycled through a number of techniques, locations, and presentations until we found a few combinations that produced.

03/09/2023

We had a nice little aurora display last night. It wasn't very intense, but still amazing to watch! It was an interesting shade of white, versus the usual greenish glow.

As the evening progressed, a rising moon and beautiful clouds stole the show.

03/09/2023

One thing that really gets loons vocal is having a bald eagle nearby. Recently we had an adult and baby feeding by us, and the adult started getting agitated. Sure enough, there was an eagle circling overhead.

I don't know if it was random or strategic, but it lead its baby toward our boat, and they lingered for a bit. Personally, I like to think the loon knew we would provide safe harbor until the threat past!

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