Best Fishing in the Boundary Waters

Whenever you fish, the most important information is often the hardest to find: Where are the best spots?

On a new lake, it’s difficult to know or even learn. Some people refuse to tell you. But when you stay with us, you get the inside scoop and more.

Gunflint Lodge, a premier Minnesota fishing resort on Gunflint Lake bordering Canada, offers food, fishing cabins, rental equipment, and even fishing guides for hire. Gunflint Lodge provides everything you need with our complete Boundary Waters fishing package. You don’t even have to cook or clean the fish. All you need to bring are your clothes and fishing licenses.

We can set you up for the perfect fishing adventure on one or more of the following lakes near our lodge:

Gunflint Lake
Little Gunflint Lake
Saganaga Lake
Magnetic Lake
Little North Lake
North Lake
Seagull Lake
Loon Lake

Ultimate fishing experiences

The Boundary Waters offers some of the world’s best freshwater fishing. But knowing what kind of experience you want largely determines when you should come to our fishing resort.

Are you looking to kick off the season with northern pike or smallmouth bass? Then plan to come in April and May. Interested in catching a big walleye? Then arrive in June or July. How about trout? Ice fishing from January to March is when you’ll want to arrive. Aside from those four big fish, you may find yourself fishing for crappie, largemouth bass, perch, catfish, and more.

At Gunflint, as an MN fishing resort, we can help you plan the perfect trip for any time of year with our fishing packages, including:

Bait and boats in the Boundary Waters

Live bait is best in our waters. But be careful how much you bring. It’s against Minnesota law to dump unused bait in the water.

When you come to Gunflint Lodge with your boat, you can fish Gunflint Lake and the chain of lakes connected to it as well as other nearby lakes that require trailering a short distance. Here are the lakes directly accessible by motorboat from Gunflint Lake.

Magnetic Lake, accessible from Gunflint Lake in all seasons
Little Gunflint Lake, accessible from Gunflint Lake by smaller boats through a narrow, shallow channel from ice-out to mid-summer, when water levels drop (after that by canoe only)
Little North Lake, is accessible from Little Gunflint Lake by smaller boats through a shallow rapid of about 50 yards. The boat must be walked or pulled up the rapids, and this area is usually only accessible to smaller motorboats earlier in the season before mid-summer when water levels drop (after that by canoe only).
North Lake, accessible through a narrows from Little North Lake, provided you can get to Little North Lake before water levels drop in mid-summer

Gunflint and Magnetic Lakes offer excellent but challenging fishing for walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, and lake trout. The average depth of 100 feet, and a maximum depth of 275 feet, combined with a relative lack of shallows, can make the fish difficult to find. But at the right times and with the correct weather, fishing can be outstanding.

Little North Lake and North Lake are exceptional fishing lakes, but they require extra effort to reach. These lakes are shallower and are best early in the season. Walleye, northern pike, and smallmouth bass await.

North Lake is deep and has great lake trout in addition to walleye, northern pike, and smallmouth bass.

Gunflint Lake and the chain of lakes directly accessible from it are U.S.-Canada border lakes that require a Canadian fishing license as well as a Minnesota license. Those with only a Minnesota license can only fish the Minnesota waters.

Canada allows only dead preserved bait. That means no live bait, including minnows, leeches, or night crawlers can be possessed in Canadian waters. You must use artificial bait, plastics, or preserved minnows in Canada.

Here is a list of larger lakes on the Upper Gunflint Trail that allow motorboats and offer excellent fishing but that require a short drive to trailer your boat:

Saganaga Lake is one of the premier trophy walleye lakes in Minnesota. It was home to the Minnesota record walleye and also offers excellent fishing for lake trout, northern pike, and smallmouth bass. “Sag” is a large lake, with more than 17,000 acres. It also is a border lake, with more than half the lake in Canada. The Minnesota portion of Saganaga is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Here, motorboats are allowed, but only up to 25 horsepower. Access is limited and requires a day-use motor permit. Permits can be scarce around popular fishing times and the summer holidays. If you plan on fishing Saganaga, you should reserve your permits early. Day-use motor permits are available through the U.S. Forest Service at recreation.gov.
Seagull Lake is a 4,000-acre lake partially in the BWCWA. It offers excellent fishing for walleye, lake trout, smallmouth bass, and northern pike. About one-quarter of Seagull is open to boats of any horsepower, with no permit required. On a slightly smaller portion of the lake, only motorboats of no more than 9.9 horsepower are allowed with a day-use motor permit. And on more than half the lake, no motorboats are allowed. Fishing is from canoes only.
Loon Lake is a deep clear lake with walleye, lake trout, northern pike, and smallmouth bass. Loon does not offer the best fishing on the Gunflint Trail. But if you’re looking for a place to take the kids, Loon is chock-full of smallmouth bass, with a few perch, rock bass, and bluegill. Anchor and throw a bobber on almost any stretch of shoreline. If you can find a rock pile, or especially a beaver house, the action will be nonstop. Loon also produced the second-largest walleye caught in Minnesota.
Many smaller lakes near Gunflint Lodge are accessible by canoe only and offer excellent fishing. We can provide more information at the lodge.

Tips for fishing lakes near Gunflint Lodge

When to come?
Ice fishing on smaller lakes can begin in late December, but the larger lakes such as Gunflint and Saganaga do not usually have safe ice until early January. The ice typically becomes unsafe in late March or early April. Consult the Minnesota fishing regulations for the opening and closing dates of seasons for various species.

The Minnesota open-water fishing season begins in early to mid-May, with the specific date varying each year. The ice-out date does not always cooperate with opening day. Three times in the last 30 years, the ice did not go out on Gunflint Lake until May 18, a full week after opening day. And in 2022, the ice went out the day before the opener. In some years, however, lakes have been open up to five weeks before the opener.

Not surprisingly, the ice-out date greatly influences water temperature. Water levels also vary year to year and seasonally. The seasonal variance on Gunflint and Saganaga is a three- to five-inch drop from spring to fall. The difference between the record spring high and the record fall low has measured nearly 10 feet. The final major variable is weather, which can affect every species differently.

Given these variables, trying to hit the best fishing can be frustrating. But great fishing can be had at any time of year. So, come on your schedule, and don’t worry about the conditions.

Some general guidelines, however, do help. Fish that spawn in the spring—walleye, northern pike, and smallmouth bass—begin their seasonal movements near their spawning areas and remain in shallow water through early summer before moving deeper in summer and fall.

Lake trout, which spawn in fall, prefer cold water. After ice-out, they prefer shallows but then quickly move deeper. The season ends for lake trout at the end of September to protect them when they return in October to shallow waters to spawn.

What to wear?
Bring quality rainwear and warm clothes to layer. Spring and fall can be cold, and it always feels colder on the water. Rainwear is useful even when it is not raining, as it protects from wind and boat spray. Nothing spoils a day on the water like being cold and wet.

A good hat and sunglasses also are essential, as glare can be high even on partly cloudy days. Bug spray is necessary at times. June usually is the worst month for black flies and mosquitos, although they typically are not bad on the water. Biting flies show up on the water in the summer, but they typically only bite the lower legs.

What to fish?

Walleye fishing along the upper Gunflint Trail is best with a medium-strength spinning rod and a spinning reel spooled with a six-pound test line. The water on most lakes is clear, so a fluorocarbon line is recommended. If you prefer a braided line, you should tip it with a section of fluorocarbon. One-eighth to one-quarter-ounce jigs or lindy rigs tipped with live bait work best. Early and late in the season, minnows work best. When the water warms, use leeches or night crawlers. Live bait usually is available at Gunflint Lodge. But bigger minnows—such as rainbow chubs, suckers, and shiners in the four- to five-inch range—must be brought.
Lake trout fishing is excellent on Gunflint, Saganaga, Seagull, and North Lakes. Lake trout prefer cold water, so early in the season find them in shallow water by trolling or casting with spoons or crankbaits. Baits work best in the four- to six-inch range, with a thin profile and a good wobble and flash. Use colors that imitate minnows, with a silver, gold, or white flash. When the water warms, lake trout move deeper. Trolling requires three- to six-ounce sinkers. For those without specialized trolling gear, try vertical jigging with standard walleye spinning gear using jigging spoons, blade baits, tube jigs, or jigs tipped with plastics.
Northern pike responds to casting or trolling spoons or crankbaits. Shallow bays provide good action early, but the bigger fish move deeper as the water warms. Deep weed beds can be hard to find in the rocky lakes of the Gunflint Trail. But when you find them, they usually produce good fishing. Many pikes—even trophies—are caught incidentally while fishing for walleye. When the big pike has moved out of the bays and into the main lake basins, trolling deeper with big baits covering lots of water is the way to go. Muskie-type spoons and crankbaits in the six- to 10-inch range, and rods that handle large baits, become necessary for big pike.
Smallmouth bass fishing is excellent on the lakes of the upper Gunflint Trail. Bass are not active during the cold-water periods. They appear in their spawning beds in early June. Sight fishing in shallow, clear water on calm, sunny days is a great option when walleyes are inactive. Casting floating crankbaits or plastics works well around large rocks and fallen trees or beaver houses. When the water hits 60 degrees, usually in early June, smallmouth bass will begin to hit surface lures. Poppers, jerk baits, floating crankbaits, or anything you can work on the surface can provide some of the most exciting fishing of the year. As the water warms, move into deeper water and work below-surface lures or live bait. In fall, bass fishing reaches exceptional levels. Bass school up and gather on deeper reefs. Live bait becomes crucial, especially large minnows measuring four to six inches. Sucker minnows work great. But you will need a lot of them to get through the day when fishing in the right spots.