June 8, 2021

Walleye - Walleye fished slowed way down as the record heat wave moved in.  Anglers fishing during the day really struggled to find active walleyes.  Early risers and night owls often reported a very different story.  Both of these anglers reported similar locations, techniques and times to be out for success.  Early risers often caught walleyes in 6 feet of water or less, using a slip bobber and a leech.  Often times right off their docks or campsite, before 8am. Night owls also reported catching walleye shallow, in 6 feet of water or less, with slip bobber and a leech or search baits (paddle tails or minnow baits), but this time after 8pm. 

Smallmouth Bass - Smallmouth bass are either building spawning beds, spawning or have wrapped spawning, depending on what lake your on.  Regardless of where they are with the spawn, they are shallow and very easy to catch right now.  Ned rigs, tubes and even top water lures have all been very effective on bass right now. 

Stream Trout - Stream trout fishing has cooled off for the shore angler, on many of the area stream trout lakes. Warm water temps are largely to blame for this.  Boat/canoe anglers have been catching some very respectable trout in some of the smaller, less fished trout lakes.  Jigs and twisters jigged over deeper water, small crankbaits trolled over deep water and night crawlers floated off the bottom have all been very effective was to catch trout. 

Lake Trout - Lake trout has remained stead this last week, but there are more and more reports of the trout being caught out in deeper water.  Trolling spoons fished behind down riggers, or three colors of leadcore and stick bait have both been the predominant way anglers are catching lakers.  Anglers fishing from a canoe have been reporting good success jigging heavy 1 1/2 to 2oz bucktails over deep water. 

Pike - Pike anglers continue to catch good numbers of pike.  Pike over the 30” mark have become few and far between as raising water temps push the out into deeper water.  Anglers have been catching pike with buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, spoons and large suckers.  Due to the heat, best success has been very early in the day in shallow weedy bays. 

Panfish - Sunfish and Crappies have begun to setup and spawn in many area lakes. Anglers have been catching them in shallow bays with small jigs tipped with either a small angle worm or wax worm for sunnies.  Crappie minnows fished under a bobber has been very effective on crappies.

June 1, 2021

Walleye - Walleye fishing has steadily improved as anglers work out what walleyes are doing on their favorite lake. More and more anglers reported excellent early morning fishing and even better evening fishing for walleyes. Anglers have been finding walleyes shallow in 6 feet of water or less over gravel or rock. Leeches fished under a bobber or on a jig pitched shallow has been very effective.  Many cabin owners/resort goers also reported catching walleye right off the dock during the evening. Trolling minnow baits in 8-12 feet of water has also been effective during the evenings.  There were also a few reports of crawlers working well over the weekend.  

Pike - Pike anglers have been having a great time catching lots of pike in the 30” range this last week.  Majority of these anglers were using large suckers fished under a large bobber, right off their docks or in shallow bays in about 10 feet of water or less. Spinnerbaits, spoons and large minnow baits have were also effective on pike, this last week. 

Smallmouth Bass - Smallmouth bass have begun setting up on their beds looking to spawn on many area lakes. Anglers have been catching some real giants with tubes, Ned rigs or wacky worms.  Anglers should be looking for bass in shallow bays with sand/gravel bottoms. 

Lake Trout - Some good lake trout reports have been coming in as of late. Anglers have been catching lakers trolling three colors of leadcore with medium size stick baits or trolling spoons with down riggers. Regardless of the lake, anglers have been reporting trout are about 20 feet down.

Stream Trout - Stream Trout fishing report have been few and far between, but reports have been good with some very big brookies caught.  Anglers have been catching big brookies with 1/16oz jig, with a 2” white twister. Early in the day trout have been shallow, but as water temps rise trout go deeper in search of cooler water. Slip bobber and crawler about 10 feet down has also been very effective on rainbows as of late too.

Crappie - Crappies were being caught in shallow bays as they were looking to spawn very soon, but after the cold snap, anglers lost track of them. Warm stable weather this next week will get them back on track. Sunfish were also being caught in good numbers too, up shallow, before the cold snap. Angleworms fished under a bobber was the ticket before the bite cooled off. Again, warm stable weather will get them back on track, before they start setting up to spawn after the crappies. 

May 25, 2021

Walleye - Walleye anglers continue to report mixed results on area lakes.  Most anglers are catching good numbers of walleyes, but they are only averaging 9-13” on many any lakes. Anglers catching bigger walleyes have been finding them in shallow water, 8 feet or less.  Anglers are having success catching them on slip bobbers and leech during the evening hours or fishing a little deeper, 8-12 feet of water, with a jig and minnow during the day. 

Pike - Pike fishing has cooled off as water temps continue to rise well above average for this time of year.  Trophy pike have become few and far between, but good numbers of pike continue to be caught in shallow water bays.  Large suckers, fished under a bobber, continues to account for most of the big pike caught right now.  Spoons, spinnerbaits and large spinners remain very effective on smaller pike.

Stream Trout - Stream Trout anglers have been having good success trolling small crankbaits for stream trout.  Night crawlers fished under a bobber or floated off the bottom also has been very effective on trout in area lakes. 

Smallmouth Bass - Smallmouth anglers have been finding smallies up in shallow bays. Suspending jerkbaits has been very effective.  On some area lakes smallies are spawning right now and anglers have been sight fishing them with tubes, senko worms and Ned rigs. 

Panfish - Reports of crappies spawning on some area lakes have been coming in. Anglers catching these fish have been finding them in shallow bays over sand and around pencil reeds.  Hair jigs, tipped with crappie minnows, under a bobber, has been very effective.  Sunfish have not started to spawn, but anglers are starting to catch good numbers of them in emerging weedbeds.  Angleworms or wax worms fished under a bobber has been very effective.  

Lake Trout - Lake trout anglers have been few and far between, so far this year, so reports are few and far between.  The few reports we have gotten have been good.  Anglers are reporting catching lakers 20-30 feet down over deep water.  Large trolling spoons fished behind down riggers has been very effective on lakers.  Anglers fishing out of a canoe, have been having great luck fishing heavy tube baits and bucktails jigged over deep water. 

May 18, 2021

Walleye - Opener was excellent for some, tough for many.  Sunny, calm and warmer then usual water temps meant walleyes were not going to be located in there usual opener locations.  Anglers looking for walleyes in their usual opener locations were disappointed.  Successful anglers found walleyes in locations they normally would find them around memorial day.  15-20 feet of water was the key depth where walleyes were located during the day.  Quarter ounce jig tipped with a minnow, has been the best producing technique for successful anglers. 

Pike - Pike anglers have been catching good numbers of very large pike so far.  Anglers fishing large suckers under a bobber, over large shallow flats/weedbeds, have been reporting excellent catches.  Anglers fishing off the dock have also been experiencing this excellent bite. 

Smallmouth - Smallmouth anglers have been finding bass up in shallow water, later in the day when the water temps warm up.  These smallies have been hitting suspending jerk baits or tube baits fished slow. Bass are being found near downed trees, shallow sand flats, where they are looking to spawn soon.

Stream Trout - Stream trout anglers found good fishing this weekend. Simple night crawler fished under a bobber accounted for most of the trout caught over the weekend. Anglers fishing from shore also caught trout with small spoons, jig and twisters. 

March 2, 2021

Eelpout - Eelpout fishing was excellent for many anglers this last weekend, with the peak of the spawn happening right now. Anglers have been finding them between 15-40 feet of water, right on top of sunken islands. Heavy pout pounders, loaded up with minnow pieces and pounded on the bottom has been very effective.

Lake Trout - Lake Trout fishing has been very hit or miss this last week. Anglers lucky enough to find active trout reported it being very easy to catch them. Same spot the next day was often the dead sea and made anglers question why they even bother. Active trout happily ran down red and white tubes, vibratos and jigging raps in 25-40 feet of water.

Crappie - Interest in crappies is growing as warmer temps come to the area.  Anglers have been having very mixed results yet.  Majority of anglers are still finding crappies largely scattered, still over 20-30 feet of water and largely inactive. Wax worms and small crappie minnows, tipped on small jigs have been most effective on these neutral to negative fish.  

Feb. 23, 2021

Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing improved as anglers returned to the area and were able to move around and find fish.  Key this week was to find fresh spots and unpressured trout.  Bucktails and tube jigs in 1/2 oz to 3/4 oz was the most popular sizes and baits in pink, blue and red/white. Anglers found the most active trout in 30-45 feet of water and main lake points, sunken islands and large flats.

Eelpout - Eelpout continue to show up in people’s daily catches as they become more and more active with their spawn approaching. Anglers targeting them are having their best luck fishing them after dark. Heavy pout pounders loaded with minnow chunks and pounded on the bottom continues to be the best technique to catch them. Anglers have been mainly catching them around sunken islands in depths ranging from 20-50 feet. Depths seem to change nightly so be sure to check different depths until eelpout are located.

Walleye - Walleye fishing improved a little this last week with a few anglers reporting success.  Deadsticking a minnow was the top producer.  Many anglers reported buckshot spoons called fish in but often failed to trigger a bite, while deadsticking often picked up those fish. Key depths ranged from 25-35 feet of water. 

Pike - Pike anglers continue to report a very steady pike bite happening on many area lakes. Lively suckers fished under a tip up has been very consistent for many anglers.  Key areas to find pike has been river mouths and large weedbeds in 4-10 feet of water.

Feb. 16, 2021

Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing was slow overall last week as cold temps kept many anglers at home or limited them to their permanent house.  Many anglers reported marking several trout a day, but trout would only give a half hearted chase, if they would chase at all. Smaller buckshot spoons or tingler spoons, tipped with a minnow head or smelt chunk, were top producers. Red and white, blue and white and pink and white were top producing colors. Key depth was 40-50 feet of water. 

Eelpout - Eelpout activity has been steadily increasing as we draw closer to their spawn.  Eelpout are being caught day and night, around sunken islands in 15-40 feet of water with large spoons or pout pounders, loaded with minnow head or smelt chunks. Pounding the bottom with your jig has been the best technique to call them in. 

Pike - There has been a few pike anglers reporting a excellent shallow water pike bite with tip ups.  These anglers are finding active pike in water as shallow as 4 feet just outside of river mouths. Medium sized sucker minnows have been best.  

Feb. 2, 2021

Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing picked up late last week and continued to improve throughout the weekend. Anglers reported catching lakers in 20-40 feet of water with blue and white bucktail jigs tipped with a minnow or gulp minnow as the most successful technique.  Dead bait laid on the bottom, accounted for almost half of the lakers caught over the weekend, so be sure to set out tip ups!

Stream Trout - Stream trout fishing was a little slow, but steady for anglers. Anglers focused their time early and late in the day, as they are finding trout are most active during those times.  Small panfish jigs tipped with soft plastics produced the most consistent bite, but spoons tipped with wax worms also accounted for their far share of trout caught also.

Panfish - Panfish was very slow last weekend. Anglers are struggling to find active crappies during the day and had very limited luck catching them after dark.  Anglers targeting sunfish reported better luck, but also said it was slow overall.  These anglers caught sunnies along weedlines in 10-15 feet of water with small jigs tipped with wax worms. 

Eelpout - Eelpout have begun popping up in anglers fishing reports.  Anglers have been finding them deep in 30-50 feet of water right now and the bite largely remains after dark.  Anglers have been using heavy glowing eelpout jigs, loaded up with smelt or sucker minnow chunks and pounded on the bottom.  

Walleye - Walleye anglers have remained few and far between, and the painfully slow bite is likely to blame.  Anglers have been struggling to find one or to walleyes a night on their favorite spots.  Deep mud in 23-28 feet of water has been just about the only place producing fish.  Deadsticking a minnow about a foot off the bottom has been the only technique worth noting.

Jan. 26, 2021

Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing was slow overall last week. Anglers that had good success, caught fish in 25-35 feet of water on 3/8 to 1/2 oz bucktails, tipped with a gulp minnow or minnow. Tip ups also accounted for a good number of lakers caught.  Dead suckers or dead smelt laid right on the bottom accounted for just about all the lakers caught with tip ups.

Stream Trout - Stream trout fishing has remained good on many of the stream trout lakes in the area. Angling pressure continues to be high, but anglers that have down sized their baits and tipped them with just a minnow head or wax worm, have continued to catch trout. 

Pike - While pike anglers have been few and far between, they have been reporting good to excellent fishing this last week.  Medium to large suckers fished under a tip up, on weedlines, has been very effective for anglers. 

Panfish - Crappies and sunnies continue to found in 20-30 feet of water, on many of the area lakes.  Anglers should be looking for soft mud bottoms, where panfish are eating bugs coming up out of the mud. Popular colors this last week, were green and pink jigs tipped with a small wax worm or crappie minnows.

Walleye - Walleye fishing has remained slow overall as several fronts went through the area last week. Anglers are reporting that they are seeing walleyes on their cameras, but the walleyes have showed little interest in biting.  Deadsticking a minnow in 20-25 feet of water, during the evening hours, has accounted for just about all the walleyes caught last week.  

Jan. 12, 2021

Walleye - Walleye fishing has remained slow overall this last week. Seems fish are there one night then gone the next.  Anglers continue to find them in 18-25 feet of water, off points, sunken islands and transition areas.  Deadsticking a lively minnow was the top producer last week, but loud buckshot spoons and rippin raps are calling them in.

Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing was a little slow overall, but there were stories of some excellent fishing happening out there.  Anglers caught trout along weedlines to 40 feet of water, but the 40 foot range was the most productive. Tubes jigs were the most popular way to catch trout, but laying dead baits on the bottom was also very productive. Deep water close to shallow flats seemed to be the most productive areas to find active lakers.

Pike - Pike remained fairly active again this last week, with a few well over 40 inches being reported.  Large suckers or smelt fished under a tip up, along weedlines or rocky points was very productive for anglers. Depths ranged from 10-25 feet of water..

Panfish - Crappie and sunfish anglers reported a consistent bite this last week. Anglers found active fish in 20-30 feet of water.  Small jigs tipped with wax worms was very effective on sunnies, while small jigs tipped with a crappie minnow was more effective on crappies setting in the basin. 

Jan. 5, 2021

Walleye - Walleye fishing continues to be hit or miss on many of the area lakes this last week.  Loud rippin raps and buckshot spoons continue to call in aggressive fish during the early morning and evening hours.  Key depths have slipped a little deeper to 20-26 feet of water.

Pike - Pike were very active this last week, with several mid 30” and up, caught this last week. Interestingly, walleye anglers seemed to find more pike then walleyes. Pike were found anywhere between 10-30 feet of water during the day. Live minnows suspended just off the bottom was very productive.

Panfish - Panfishing remained slow but steady for many anglers. With weeds dying back, panfish continue to slide deeper and deeper.  Both crappies and sunfish are being found in 20-30 feet of water.  Small the bait the better.  Small tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms or small soft plastics has been best. 

Dec. 29, 2020

Walleye - Walleye fishing continues to improve for many anglers, as anglers start figuring out what the walleyes are doing and how to get them to bite.  Orange continues to be repeated as the color that catches the majority of walleyes.  Rippin raps and loud buckshot spoons are not only calling walleyes in, but triggering bites from walleyes after dark. Depths range from 16-24 feet of water. 

Pike - Pike fishing has remained good, but angler interest has fallen off.  Big pike continue to be caught in and around weedbeds and river mouths on large suckers or dead smelt.  10 feet of water or less has remained best.

Panfish - Panfish continue to be found deeper and deeper, this last week. Anglers reported marking fish, but could only watch as they would come up and go back down. Small tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms was key for bluegill anglers.  Soft plastics worked for some crappie anglers, but small tungsten jigs tipped with a crappie minnow work best.

Dec. 22, 2020

Ice conditions - Ice conditions have remained excellent on area lakes and have improved enough for truck travel on the ice.  Ice thickness ranges from 9-16”.  

Walleye - Walleye fishing has remained slow, despite the fact, anglers reporting marking good numbers of walleyes every evening.  Anglers are finding walleyes in 18-23 feet of water.  Rippin raps and buckshot spoons are calling in walleyes, but deadsticking a shiner has been accounting for the majority of walleyes being caught.  

Pike - Pike fishing remains good and very consistent for many anglers.  Pike continue to be found at the mouths of shallow bays or near river mouths.  Anglers continue to focus in 10 ft of water or less.  Large dead baits tend to produce the most fish and largest pike.  

Panfish - Panfish have begun to start sliding out into deeper water as snow slowly starts to accumulate on area lakes.  Anglers are finding them in 15-20 feet of water.  Panfish have remained very finicky on what they will hit.  Live bait, like waxies and crappie minnows have been key to catching fish.

This is one of our ice fishing guides, Dave, who you can hire to help you find the fish!

You can order gift cards directly from the website.

Dec. 15, 2020

Ice conditions - Ice conditions have remained excellent on area lakes. Ice continues to improve as lakes remain clear of snow. 9-12 inches of great ice is widely being reported.

Pike - Tip up fishing for pike was excellent this last week for many anglers.  Several reports of large pike stretching the tape past 40+ inches was reported.  Several groups also reported double digit days.  Large dead minnows laying on the bottom or suspended about a foot off the bottom, at the mouths of shallow bays was very effective.  Tip ups placed inside shallow bays or along weedlines was effective too.

Walleye - Walleye anglers were few and far between as the hot pike bite lured some away.  Still walleyes were caught.  Anglers have reported that a lack of snow on the ice seems to of slowed the evening bite until after the sun is below the horizon.  Rattle spoons tipped with a minnow has been very effective.  Key depth remains 18-23 feet of water.

Crappie - Crappies remained finicky on area lakes.  Anglers used loud rippin raps to call fish in, but more often then not, crappie minnows, fished under a bobber got the bites.  18-25 feet of water, during the day, was the most popular places to catch crappies.  

Dec. 9, 2020

Ice conditions - Ice conditions have remained excellent on area lakes.  4-8 inches of good solid ice is being widely reported across the area.  4 wheeler tracks are being seen more and more at accesses.

Walleye - Walleye fishing has remained slow on the larger local lakes, but good to excellent on many of the smaller walleye lakes in the area.  Anglers have been having the best luck using tip ups with a shiner, in 17-23 feet of water.  Jigging spoons and rippin raps are also triggering aggressive walleyes during the evening hours.  

Pike - Pike fishing remains steady for many.  Tip ups, tipped with large minnows, at the mouth of shallow bays or along weedlines, has been the go to.  Anglers should focus in 10 feet of water or less for best results. 

Panfish - Crappies were on the negative side this last weekend, as many anglers reported little issue finding fish but struggled to get them to bite.  Location of crappies largely depended on the lake you were fishing. Some lakes they were located in 18-24 feet of water.  Other lakes, anglers found them shallow in and around green weeds, mixed in with sunfish.

Dec. 2, 2020

Ice fishing season is here! This is our favorite fishing season. Looking forward to seeing you all stop in the store on your way out to the ice.

Ice conditions - Ice conditions are currently excellent on area lake, with little to no snow on the ice. Conditions still vary from 2-7 inches of ice being reported by anglers. Rule of thumb has been the smaller the lake the more ice you will find and more consistent the thickness will be.  Foot travel has been the only form of travel right now. 

Pike - Pike anglers fishing large suckers, large shiners and large smelt have been reporting a excellent tip up bite, at the mouths of shallow bays and back in shallow bays. Key depth has been 8 feet of water, to as little as 3 feet.  

Walleye - Walleye fishing has been somewhat limited to the shallower walleye lakes in the area.  Safe ice has just now formed out over deeper walleye water on the bigger area lakes and anglers are now fishing out there.  Shiners and rainbows fished a bobber has been accounting for the majority of walleyes being caught right now.  Jigging spoons and jigging raps has been effective on aggressive fish.  Key depths have been 15-20 feet of water during the evening hours.  

Steve & Kris, owners of Arrowhead Outdoors

Nov. 22, 2020

Ice fishing season is right around the corner! Ice is forming on the area lakes and some fisherman are already out there on the shallow ones. The weekly fishing report will be resuming soon so I wanted to give a brief description of what can be found up here in the Ely area.

Ely, Minnesota is home to MN’s best Stream Trout and Lake Trout fishing. Stream Trout and Lake Trout are most active during the winter months, traditionally slower times of the ice fishing season. These trout provide some of the most exciting ice fishing that an ice angler could experience through the ice. No other fish compares.

No where else in MN offers as many lakes or species of trout than the Ely area - from driving to lakes, to remote walk-in lakes - we have it all here in Ely.

Walleye/Northern Pike - mid November to early January is prime time.

Lake Trout/Stream Trout - Trout opener is mid-January.

Crappie/Panfish - Late winter is a great time to fish Crappie through the ice - usually around mid-March/early April when day temps reach 40’s but the ice is still 12-20” thick.

Eelpout - Mid-February - March is excellent Eelpout fishing.

Oct. 13, 2020

This is the last fishing report until ice fishing starts

Walleye - Walleye fishing showed good signs of improvement as several anglers reported good bites with quality walleyes being caught.  Key was to fish large baits, deep.  Anglers trolling large minnow baits in 25-30 feet of water, along sharpe breaks had the best reports of catching big walleyes.  Live bait anglers also reported catching walleyes along sharpe shoreline breaks.  Here vertical jigging or lindy rigging large minnows up and down the break, proved to be very effective on hungry fall walleyes.  20-35 feet of water is where anglers reported catching walleyes with minnows. 

Pike - Pike fishing remains steady with some bigger pike being caught.  Pike are now largely being located on shallow, rocky, shoreline flats and around river mouths.  Pike are simply staging here looking for spawning whitefish and ciscos.  These pike are looking for large meals, so large suckers, spoons and large minnow have been very effective on them right now.

Stream Trout - Stream trout has remained good to excellent for many anglers targeting them.  As water temps continue to fall the bite will only get better. Shore anglers are catching good numbers of trout fishing night crawlers under a bobber and throwing small spoons.  Anglers fishing from a boat have been having good luck trolling small minnow baits and small spoons, just 5-10 feet down over deep water. 

Oct. 6, 2020

Walleye - Walleye fishing remained slow as cold temps and rain made it challenging just to get out.  The few anglers that went out reported still finding walleyes out around sunken islands or up on large shallow, wind blown flats.  Larger minnows fished on lindy rigs seemed to be key to anglers success.  Water temps are now holding in the mid 50’s, so the best fishing is still to come.

Pike - Anglers continue to find pike easy to catch, but lacking in size.  Large sucker minnows fished under a bobber around river mouths, weedlines or shallow rocky points, has been very effective. As water temps continue to drop, rocky points will only become more important to anglers success.

Stream Trout - Shore angler fishing for stream trout are reporting good to excellent fishing right now.  Night crawlers fished 5-15ft under a bobber has been the most popular and maybe most effective.  Small spoons and spinners have also effective on trout.  Anglers should be looking for trout around sharpe drop offs, large rocky flats or around downed trees.

Sept. 29, 2020

Walleye - Walleye fishing has been challenging for many this last week.  Successful anglers found walleyes shallow, in 10 feet of water or less. Large main lake points, close to deep water where the key areas to focus on.  Lindy rigs tipped with large minnows remained the best way to catch walleyes.  There was a few reports of anglers catching walleyes in 18-23 feet of water, with jig and minnow, but anglers fishing out there struggled to find any kind of numbers of walleyes. 

Pike - Pike anglers enjoyed a good week of pike fishing, as pike were active.  Size of pike remains small overall, but numbers of pike caught per day, remains high. Anglers continue to find pike cruising the weedlines and river mouths. Large suckers have been getting the most action, but spinners and spoons have also been effective on them.

Stream Trout - Anglers have noted a steady increase in trout activity on many area lakes this last week.  Streamers are now within reach of shoreline anglers and they have been reporting the best success right now.  Floating a crawler off the bottom, casting small spoons and jig and twister has been very effective on trout.  Large rocky flats and downed trees have been the areas to key in on.