December 28th, 2021
***Ice Report***
Ice conditions continue to improve in the Ely area. 11-14” of good solid ice is being reported on the majority of Ely area lakes. With enough ice for trucks, plowed roads have quickly popped up and are expanding quickly. For anglers that aren’t comfortable with driving on the ice yet or there is no plowed road to they favorite fishing spot yet, 4 wheelers, side by side and snowmobiles are all still being used to get around on area lakes.
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Walleye anglers continue to quality walleyes on area lakes. Numbers of fish caught, each outing, swings wildly for many anglers. One day you can catch well over a dozen, then the very next day get totally skunked. Gotta love winter walleye fishing! Best bite continues to be reported in 20 feet of water and during the evening hours. Jigging spoons, tipped with a minnow head and dead sticking a good lively shiner or rainbow, continue account for the majority of walleyes being caught.
Pike - Big pike continue to come up the hole, weather your targeting them or not. Anglers targeting them continue to find the in shallow weedy bays and continue to catch them under a tip up with a live or dead medium suckers. Main lake points near deep water also continues to produce fish.
Panfish - Sunfish and crappie anglers have been finding both fish inside weedbeds and on weedlines. Recent snowfall will cause the weeds to start dying back and both fish will start moving out to deeper water. Wax worms and soft plastics, both tipped on small jigs have been very effective on both crappies and gills. Anglers have been focusing the majority of their time in 15 feet of water and less.
This shot from the December 28th, 2021 report captures the heart of solid mid-winter ice fishin' in Ely MN's BWCA-area lakes— a wide expanse of thick, clear ice stretchin' under a crisp blue sky, snow lightly dustin' the surface while dark pine ridges rise on the horizon for that classic Northwoods feel. Plowed roads snake across the frozen lake, showin' trucks and permanent houses settlin' in, with gear like augers, tip-ups, buckets of suckers or shiners, and jig rods ready near fresh holes. Ice sat strong at 11-14 inches after excellent makin' weather post-rain and snow, slush no issue, access easy for everyone—4-wheelers or snowmobiles where roads weren't expanded yet. Walleye anglers were pullin' quality fish in 20 feet durin' evenings, jiggin' spoons tipped with minnow heads or dead-stuck lively shiners/rainbows—catches swingin' from dozens one day to skunked the next, keepin' it excitin'. Northern pike were crashin' tip-ups in shallow weedy bays with live or dead medium suckers, big ones showin' up even if not targeted, plus main lake points near deep water. Crappie and sunfish rounded it out in weedbeds and lines under 15 feet on wax worms or soft plastics on small jigs, with recent snowfall causin' weeds to die back and fish movin' deeper. This scene screams reliability: safe thick ice, no crowds, wilderness solitude, and the promise of flags poppin' or rods bendin' at dusk. At Arrowhead Outdoors, we were loaded with live bait, suckers, shiners, jigs, and advice that week—same today for chasin' walleye evenings or pike in the weeds. These late-Dec 2021 reports still guide winter trips: swing by 1810 East Sheridan in Ely for fresh shiners/suckers, sharpened blades, and updates. Subscribe on arrowheadoutdoorselymn.com to catch every bite—nothin' like thick ice and active fish up here