Gunflint Trail Association

Ice fishing shelters are popping up on Gunflint Trail lakes. With the new year comes a new fishing season in Minnesota: the winter lake trout season.  The season opened for lakes completely inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on New Year’s Eve.

Ice fishing is a favorite Minnesota pastime and the early lake trout season in the BWCAW offers a wonderful opportunity to ski, hike, or snowshoe back into a secluded lake that you’ll likely have all to yourself. Before you head off, you’ll want to don a bit of patience and plenty of warm layers and pack a sled with fishing rods, tip-ups, some minnows, an auger, and maybe a bite for you to eat during a slow time when the fish aren’t biting. Remember, you’ll need to have purchased a trout stamp for your MN fishing license and you’ll also need to fill out a free day use permit for the BWCAW – available at the landing where you park your car.

There’s no guarantee that you’ll catch a fish. But whether you’re landing your limit or just “catching” nibbles, chances are you’ll discover something spectacular during your ice fishing adventure: maybe a perfect wolf track, an encounter with a fox, or a beautiful sunset as you pack up your sleds for the night.

Prefer to snowmobile to your fishing hole? Lake trout season for lakes outside the BWCAW opens on Saturday, January 14.

While you’re thinking fish, here’s a date to get on your calendar: 2/15 – 2/17 is Take-a-Kid ice fishing weekend in Minnesota. What a great excuse to get out in the woods and teach a kid the ropes of ice fishing!

Tags: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, BWCAW, Gunflint Trail, ice, ice fishing, minnesota, Minnesota weather, winter, winter outings