March 31st, 2026
***Fishing Report***
Panfish - Panfish again showed signs of going strong only for us to get another cold snap to cool it off. When it was going strong anglers reported catching a good number of quality crappies and gills mixed in. These anglers reported catching crappies up high, about 10-15ft under the ice, while fishing over 20-30ft of water. Crappie minnows fished under a bobber or deadstick, with a purple, white or pink jig, were very effective here for many anglers. Many anglers also did well fishing a white colored soft plastics. Sunfish were still tight to the bottom. Oftentimes not coming off the bottom more than 5ft. Small jigs loaded up with wax worms was the ticket for getting them to bite. Some real giants stretching the tape past 10” were reported by anglers.
Whitefish/tullibees - Many anglers fishing for panfish with soft plastics caught a handful of nice tullibees. Tullibees are a lot like crappies, when the suns out, they are often very high in the water column and actively chase your baits up and down like a lake trout would, but when the clouds come in they cool off and often are unwilling to chase your baits. Small jigging spoons you would use for stream trout and small panfish jigs, both loaded with waxies, are a very effective way to catch tullibees. Anglers should look for deep holes between 20-40ft of water for schools of tullibees.
A woman holds up a nice tullibee caught March 31st, 2026 on a small tungsten jig loaded with wax worms during late ice on an Ely area lake near the BWCA. The fish is silver with that classic dark back and bright flanks, caught right next to the hole under a clear sunny sky. Late-March tullibee hit hard on small jigs tipped wax worms when they’re feedin’ heavy before ice-out. This is another good day on the ice near the BWCA. Whether you’re targetin’ tullibee, lake trout, or eelpout, fresh bait and the right gear keep the action hot right to the end of the season. Swing by Arrowhead Outdoors – voted #1 bait and tackle shop in MN – to grab tungsten jigs, wax worms, warm layers, and get the latest ice conditions.