June 17th, 2025
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Walleye reports are indicating that walleyes are shifting out more and more to the sunken islands and mud flats. Anglers targeting walleyes out here are using spinner rigs tipped with a crawler or leech. Humps that top out in that 12-18ft of water have been the most productive humps to fish. If a mud flat is located nearby, even better. Reports continue to also come in of a good shallow water bite for walleyes. Here anglers have been doing good with minnows and leeches. Minnows during the day, pitched on a 1/8oz, firetiger, gold, pink or white jig, over shallow rocks in 6-8ft of water. During the evening hours a slip bobber and leech has remained deadly in these same locations. Wind blown rocks have been the key.
Smallmouth - Smallies have wrapped up their spawn on the majority of lakes now and have recovered from the spawn. Topwater bite is in full swing right now. Whopper ploppers, poppers, torpedoes and spooks have been catching huge numbers of smallies right now. If topwater gets to be too exciting for you, wacky worms, chatterbaits, spinners and plugs are also catching lots of smallies right now. Best depth remains 10ft of water and less.
Panfish - Sunfish have begun to spawn in many of the Ely area lakes. Shallow sand flats in the pencil reeds have been the areas to look for spawning gills. Wax worms, angleworms or small leeches fished in a bobber has been deadly. Crappies continue to be found out in emerging weedbeds during the evening hours now. Jig and twister or crappie minnows under a bobber have been very effective. Some anglers have reported catching crappies in downed trees during the day. Not all down trees are created equally, so you may have to check a few downed trees before you find the right one. Bobber and crappie minnows, fished close to the trees have been very effective.
Stream Trout - Rainbows continue to be a popular catch this last week. Some really big rainbows have been caught this last week too. White twisters have been deadly for those fishing right off shore on local stream trout lakes. Anglers fishing from a boat have been trolling brightly colored minnow baits and/or small trolling spoons. These anglers have been simply trolling along shorelines about 5-10 feet down.
Lake Trout - Lake trout continue to be found on the shallow side. 20-35ft of water continues to be the best depth to find lakers. Trolling crankbaits and trolling spoons have been effective. For anglers fishing from a canoe, they have been drifting over deep water while jigging heavy bucktails or tube jigs.
Pike - Pike reports continue to cool off, but not from a lack of catching fish. Anglers have been throwing large spoons along weedlines, river mouths and mouths of shallow bays and are reporting that they are catching good numbers of pike. Reports of anglers catching large pike while fishing a large sucker under a bobber, right off their docks.
