February 15th, 2022
***Fishing Report***
Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing was slow for many anglers this last week. Anglers reportedly saw lots of trout on the graph and cameras, but often the trout wouldn’t chase or bite. Anglers that caught trout were often using jigging spoons and anglers fished the trout more like a walleye then a lake trout. This means they kept the spoons moving but didn’t reel the spoon away from the trout. Sharper breaks seemed to produce more trout then deep flats, points and sunken islands.
Eelpout - Eelpout have become very active as they are starting to spawn on many of the area lakes. Anglers have been catching them during the day, evening and overnight on heavy glow spoons, pounded on the bottom. Rattle baits have also been very effective on eelpout too, so be sure not to overlook these baits. Areas to focus on are near river mouths, sunken islands, large shallow flats. Depth often varies day to day, so be sure to fish different depths.
Stream Trout - Anglers continue to have good luck catching stream trout this last week. Anglers have been finding Splake and Brook trout shallow, in 10 feet of water or less, close to downed trees or weedbeds. Here, small spoons and tungsten jigs tipped with a wax worm or salmon egg has been very effective. Rainbow trout have been found very shallow too, but more in the very early mornings and later in the evenings. During the day, rainbow trout are being found out over deeper water, often cursing just under the ice to 20 feet down. Same baits used for Splake and brookies will work for rainbows.
This photo from the February 15th, 2022 report shines a light on the consistent winners durin' a tough laker week in Ely MN's BWCA-area lakes—an angler smilin' big while holdin' a vibrant stream trout (splake, brook, or rainbow) fresh from the ice, its bright fins and spots poppin' in the winter sun against a snowy backdrop on a wide frozen lake. Pine ridges frame the distant shore for classic Northwoods remoteness, with small tungsten jig, spoon, or tip-up nearby tipped with wax worms or salmon eggs ready for shallow action. Lake trout remained slow for many: lots seen on graphs/cameras, but reluctant to bite—success came from jiggin' spoons kept movin' like walleye style, no reelin' away from followers, and sharper breaks beatin' flats, points, or islands. Eelpout heated up near spawn—active day/evenin'/overnight around river mouths, sunken islands, and large shallow flats (depths changin' daily), hammerin' heavy glow spoons or rattle baits pounded on the bottom for solid hauls. Stream trout delivered steady: splake and brook trout tight in shallows (10 feet or less near downed trees or weedbeds) on small spoons/tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms or salmon eggs; rainbows shallow early/late but deeper (up to 20 feet) midday on same rigs. This scene captures the payoff: crisp air, thick safe ice, gear for shallow runs, and a quality catch when deep lakers play hard to get. At Arrowhead Outdoors, we were crankin' out wax worms, salmon eggs, glow spoons, rattle baits, small jigs, and advice that week—same today for stream trout fans or eelpout night hunters in BWCA waters. These Feb 2022 reports stay useful for winter plannin': swing by 1810 East Sheridan in Ely for live bait, glow gear, sharpened blades, and current conditions. Subscribe on arrowheadoutdoorselymn.com for weekly real-talk—nothin' like pivotin' to the hot bite up here in the Northwoods! (298 words)Alternate Filename: ely-mn-bwca-stream-trout-ice-fishing-report-arrowhead-outdoors-feb-15-2022.jpgImage ALT Text: Angler holding stream trout on ice Ely MN BWCA from Arrowhead Outdoors February 15 2022 fishing report strong splake brook shallow 10 ft rainbows vary wax worms salmon eggs snowy lake pine shores Northwoods scene lakers slow eelpout active spawn (182 characters)Excerpt for the image: Stream trout deliver Ely MN BWCA Arrowhead Outdoors Feb 15 2022 report: splake/brook good shallow 10 ft spoons/jigs wax worms, rainbows shallow early/deep midday—lakers slow picky jig spoons, eelpout spawn hot glow spoons—gear up at the shop for your BWCA ice trip!