June 10th, 2025
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Walleyes continue to scatter throughout the lake with reports coming in from 3-6ft of water, tight to rocky shorelines with a slip bobber and a leech, during the evening hours. Paddle tails are also catching good numbers of walleyes here too. Other anglers are catching good numbers of walleyes in 10-15ft of water, off point or just off shallow flats with spinner rigs tipped with a crawler, leech or minnow. Other anglers are starting to find walleyes moving out to sunken islands that top out in that 10-15ft of water. Firetiger, gold and pink continue to be the hot colors this last week.
Smallmouth Bass - Smallies are either starting to spawn or just wrapping up their spawn on area lakes. Depending on where they are at with spawning on your lake, Ned rigs, wacky worms, in-line spinners and topwater baits have been catching good numbers of bass with a few big girls mixed in. Once these bass wrap up spawning this bite is going to get really hot! Regardless of the lake, anglers should be focusing their time in 10ft of water, over rock/boulders, downed trees and current areas to catch smallies. Bone, Loon and green pumpkin.
Panfish - Crappie reports are starting to indicate that crappies have wrapped up their spawn on many of the Ely area lakes. Anglers are still finding some males left in the pencil reeds, but every day they are catching less and less. Anglers are now mainly finding them in or just outside on emerging weed beds and are catching them with jig and twisters or crappie minnows under a bobber. Sunfish have been replacing the crappies in the shallows. Small angle worms, wax worms and even small twisters have been catching good numbers of big gills in area lakes.
Stream Trout - Rainbow Trout bite has been lights out this last week. Anglers have been catching nice rainbows right off the dock with red and gold spoons, small twisters and crawlers fished under a bobber. For anglers fishing out in a boat, trolling small spoons, brightly colored minnow baits and even leadcoring small trolling spoons have been catching good numbers of nice trout.
Lake Trout - Cool weather has the lakers in a biting mode this last week. Reports indicate that lakers have rise up in the water column to about 15-25ft of water, over deep water. Anglers are catching them trolling heavy spoons, leadcoring light trolling spoons and trolling deep diving crankbaits. Covering ground, looking for biters has really been the name of the game. Wonderbread, red/white and silver/blue have been good colors to troll with.
Pike - Pike anglers have been hard to find this last week despite reports of some real giants still being caught right off the dock yet. Barbie pole with a small minnow fished under a bobber seemed to be the best way to catch pike up to 45”. If you're too cool to fish with a Barbie pole, heavy suckers, fished under a bobber, remains a good backup. Spoons, large minnow baits and large in-line spinners have been very effective too. Shallow bays, and river mouths remain good locations, but pike are starting to disperse out into the lake. Main lake points and emerging weedbeds are starting to hold big pike.
A proud angler stands tall on the boat holdin' up a massive trophy walleye caught June 10th, 2025 in the Ely MN area near the BWCA – this dark-backed beauty's golden speckled sides shine bright in the sun, big eye glarin', flared dorsal fin up, and mouth wide open with a lively leech still hooked after a solid strike. Dressed in a pink shirt and light blue pants, sunglasses perched, he's grinnin' ear-to-ear with his black lab sittin' happy in the back of the boat, calm lake water lappin' the hull, thick green pines towerin' along rocky shores and islands in the distance under that perfect blue sky. Guided by Cast Outdoor Adventures, this walleye fell to a classic leech rig – hooked through the sucker on a jig or plain hook, slow-dragged or drifted over points, humps, rock piles, or weed edges in 10-25 feet where big 'eyes hold tight feedin' heavy post-spawn as water temps climb. Leeches wiggle natural, triggerin' those reaction strikes from larger fish schooled on structure – especially mornings/evenings or cloudy days when they're aggressive shallower. The boat deck with gear, clear water, pines reflectin' – that's the thrill of BWCA boat fishin' with quality trophies and guided know-how. These walleye pair killer with northern pike topwater crashes, lake trout deep, stream trout in rivers, and smallmouth on rocks for full early-summer excitement. Head to Arrowhead Outdoors, voted #1 Bait and Tackle Shop in MN, for fresh leeches, jig heads, live bait rigs, and summer setups to chase trophy walleye, northern pike, lake trout, stream trout, and more. Thanks to Cast Outdoor Adventures for makin' trips like this happen – get guided and get bitin'!