Welcome to the 2025 Ely Fishing Season!
January 15th, 2025
Trout fishing within the BWCA continues to be hot, will it be just as good opening weekend outside the BWCA?
***Ice Report***
With cold weather and some serious cold temperatures are forecasted for early next week, ice conditions continue to improve everywhere in the Ely area. As much as 20+ inches of ice is now being reported and ice roads have popped up. As much a 4” of new snow now covers area lakes, so now snowmobiles are a common sight on area lakes.
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Walleye fishing continues to be on the slow side but a handful of good bites were reported this last week. These good bites happened in 26-30ft of water. Deadsticking a minnow, during the morning and evening hours has been the bite window. If deep is not happening for you 12ft of water continues to be another good depth to catch walleyes during the bite windows.
Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing in the BWCA continues to be good to excellent for many anglers willing to walk in. Key depths continue to be that 30-50ft range, close to deep water. Tubes, bucktails, tipped with a sucker, have been an excellent choice. Red, blue and chartreuse colored tubes have been hot.
Stream Trout - Brook trout fishing has been good for many anglers fishing in the BWCA. Anglers have been focusing on downed timber, weeds and beaver houses for brookies. Small jigging spoons, tungsten jigs, tipped with a wax worm or dead minnow have been very effective.
Pike - Pike has slowed up, but more likely because of the cold temps make it challenging to keep a hole open. Anglers fishing from heated houses reported catching a handful of pike but the average size was on the small side. With a short warmup forecasted anglers should focus on river mouths and weedbeds in 5-12ft of water. Medium to large suckers are always a good choice for tip ups.
Panfish - With the drop in temps last week the panfish bite also dropped. Anglers reported that they could find crappies and sunfish in 25-30 feet of water, but they often struggled to get them to bite. Downsizing to 1/32oz jigs and tipped them with a wax worm or two, accounted for the majority of fish caught.
January 8th, 2025
BWCA Lake Trout opener started out with a bang!
***Ice Report***
Much needed cold snap continues to make quality ice on Ely area lakes. 12-20” of ice is now being reported on Ely area lakes. 4 wheelers, side by sides, cars and trucks are now driving around on many of the lakes. Anglers planning on coming up for the 2025 winter trout opener on January 18th, should know that stream trout and lake trout lake ice is now being reported to be between 12-18” of ice. Unless we get a dumping of snow, which is not forecasted, 4 wheelers and side by sides are going to be the best ways to travel on all lakes, opening weekend.
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Walleye fishing continues to be typical January walleye fishing. Slow. Best time continues to be during the evening hours with a lively minnow deadsticked. Anglers have also reported catching a few walleyes overnight on rattle reels. Best depth continues to be in that 12-20 feet of water. Large mud flats in these depths continue to be the best producers.
Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing in the BWCA (outside the BWCA opens January 18th) started out with a bang and has remained excellent for many who have made the trek into the BWCA. Best fishing was in 40-60ft of water, near flats, humps and points. Tubes and flukes, fished 20-40ft down were very effective for lakers.
Stream Trout - Brook Trout fishing in the BWCA (outside the BWCA opens January 18th) also was excellent for many anglers. Brook Trout angler’s focused on shallow shorelines In 10ft of water and shallower for brookies. Downed trees and weeds had the best fishing. Small jigging spoons and tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms produced good numbers of trout.
Pike - Anglers continue to target big pike with tip ups on many Ely area lakes. Medium to large suckers, fished in weedbeds in 5-12ft of water have been producing good numbers and size pike.
Panfish - Both crappies and sunfish have cooled off as air temperatures have dropped. Crappies and sunnies are being found in 20-25ft of water and tight to the bottom. Small tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms or crappie minnows have been the best way to approach these negative fish.
January 1st, 2025
Ice condition continue to improve and the panfish have been biting!
***Ice Report***
After a few days of rain, Ely area lakes have lost all the snow on top, but not very much ice. With a good cold snap forecasted for the next week and beyond, ice conditions have steadily improving on area lakes. Anglers have been reporting 8-13” of good ice. 4 wheelers and side by sides have become common forms of travel on area lakes with a few lakes trucks are starting to showing up out on the ice. Permanent houses are now a common sight on Ely area lakes.
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Walleye fishing continues to be slow for anglers. The few decent reports have been coming in 10-15 feet of water during the morning and evening hours. Small minnows, on a small jig and deadsticked, has been the most productive technique this last week. Look to rocky bottoms and river mouths
Pike - Pike fishing continues to be good and consistent for many anglers targeting them. Some large pike have been coming on tip ups, tipped with a medium to large sucker. Shallow weedbeds in 5-12 feet of water continue to be the best areas to target.
Panfish - Crappies and bluegills continue to be slow but steady for many anglers. Anglers have been catching both in deeper holes around 18-25 feet of water. Small jigs tipped with wax worm have been best for gill while a small jig tipped with either soft plastics or crappie minnow has been best for the crappies. White, pink and purple have been the best colors for panfish.
December 17th, 2024
Ice conditions are improving and the fish have been biting
***Ice Report***
Much needed arctic blast rolled through the Ely area last week quickly improving ice conditions on area lakes. Ice reports on many of the area lakes are now 3-11”. As another cold snap is forecasted later this week, expect ice thickness to even out more by next week. Before you start testing with vehicles, be aware much of the new ice is frozen slush or cloudy ice. This means it will only support half the weight of clear ice.
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Walleye anglers have been reporting a good steady bite on area lakes, during the evening hours. Anglers have mainly been fishing 18-23 feet of water. Jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head or deadsticking a lively minnow near the bottom has accounted for many of the walleyes caught.
Pike - Anglers tip up fishing for pike have been reporting catching good numbers of 25-35” pike at many of the popular bays for pike, this last week. Handful of 40+ inch pike were also reported. Anglers continue to focus on weedbeds for pike. Medium to large size suckers produced the best results for anglers.
Panfish - Anglers have been reporting some good fishing for sunfish on a handful of those lakes. Anglers have mainly been finding them in shallow weedbeds with small jigs tipped with wax worms. Pink, wonderbread and purple were popular colors this last week for sunfish. Crappie anglers have been finding some crappies out in the deeper basins. Crappies have been scattered so drilling holes and covering ground has been the key to catching them.
December 11th, 2024
Feels good to get out on the ice and catch some walleyes again!
***Ice Report***
After a busy weekend, a better picture of ice conditions is coming into focus. Ice thickness ranged from 2-6 inches on many of the area lakes. Again, shallow bays is where anglers were finding the thickest ice on lakes.
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Walleye reports were limited as safe ice out to walleye depths was somewhat limited. Many anglers focused at the mouths of shallow bays for walleyes and had some success. Deadsticking a good lively minnow, in 15-18 feet of water, proved to be the best technique. Jigging spoons and lipless crankbaits also accounted for a good number of bigger walleyes, during the evening hours.
Pike - Pike anglers reported good tip up fishing this last weekend for good numbers of pike. Medium sized suckers was the most popular and effective bait of choice. Anglers focused on shallow weedy bays, in 5-12 feet of water, for the best pike fishing.
Nice limit of walleyes
December 3rd, 2024
2024 Ice Season Begins!
***Ice Report***
Finally, wind conditions calmed down enough for ice to quickly form over the majority of lakes in the Ely area. Smaller/shallower lakes in the Ely area have been capped over since Thanksgiving Day last week, so expect ice to be quite a bit thicker on them. Handful of reports from those shallow lakes, had ice as thick as 6” along the shorelines and out to the weedlines. With a nice cold snap and forecasted windshields as low as -25 coming Wednesday, traditional early ice pike spots will have enough ice for foot travel this weekend.
As always ice picks and a good chisel is strongly recommended if you plan on fishing somewhere without fresh tracks and especially if you plan to venture out to deeper water for walleyes!
Full selection of live bait will be in on Thursday!
2024 Ice Season Begins!
October 6th, 2024
The fall binge feeding has begun! Don't miss out on the trophy fall minnow bite!
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Heavy winds this last week had many anglers laying low. Anglers that went out fishing found active walleyes in 15-20 feet of water around wind blown points and sunken islands. Small and medium sized suckers were the hot baits. Anglers fished them on a lindy rig or 1/4-3/8oz jig. Gold, blue/white and pink/white were the hot colors this last week. Water temps are now in the mid to high 50’s.
Smallmouth - Smallies continue to binge feed on anything they can get in their mouths. Large and medium size suckers have been the best way to avoid catching piles of 2-3lb bass. Lindy rigs and jigs have been the best way to fish large minnows. Sunken islands that top out in 10-15ft of water have been the best areas to find smallies. Not all humps are created equal, so if the bass aren’t biting on the hump your fishing, keep moving!
Crappies - Multiple anglers have been reporting that the crappies have started to school up and are sliding down to warmer, stable water temperatures. Anglers should now be focusing their efforts in the 12-16ft of water range. Jig/twister, beetle spins, and the classic crappie minnow and bobber have been catching crappies. Anglers have been finding crappies just off weedbeds and around sunken islands.
Pike - Pike activity has increased again this last week as cooler water temps have arrived. Large suckers, fished under a bobber, large minnow bait and large soft plastic minnow baits have been deadly this last week. Big pike are starting to set up on major points, shallow rocky flats and river mouths as they wait for fall spawning ciscos and whitefish to arrive. Anglers looking for that trophy pike should be focusing their efforts in these areas.
Stream Trout - Clearly, as cooler temps start to cool off the water, stream trout fishing is only going to get better and better. Rainbow trout continue to get the bulk of anglers' attention. Trolling cowbells, with small crankbaits, over deep water continues to be the most effective way for boat anglers to find and catch rainbows. Brook trout have started to show up in angler reports too now. Anglers have been finding them suspended over deep water yet, but as water temps drop, brookies will move up shallow.
October 1st, 2024
The big fish bite is starting to heat up, but the best is yet to come!
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Some good news on the walleye front has been coming in this last week, walleyes are starting to hit big minnows and slowly transitioning to traditional fall locations like sharp breaks and deeper water. These walleyes have been hitting large minnows fished on a jig or lindy rig in 15-20 feet of water. That being said, reports continue to come in of nice walleyes being caught over shallow rocks, 5-10ft of water, with paddle tails and scattered walleyes being caught trolling crankbaits over 25-30 foot deep flats.
Smallmouth - Smallmouth bite remained on fire this last week. Water temps still have the smallies scattered for the most part, but pockets of fat, aggressive smallies are starting to group up on sunken islands. Shallow sunken islands that top out in 12-15 feet have been the best ones to find groups of active smallies. Large minnows and large paddle tails slow rolled over these humps have been deadly
Panfish - Anglers have been reporting that some good crappie bites have been happening in many Ely area lakes. Crappies are slowly starting to school up. Anglers are still finding crappies in and around weedbeds on area lakes. Anglers should not overlook trees laying in the water and standing timber in some area lakes. Jig/twister, beetle spins and crappie minnows fished under a bobber.
Pike - Pike fishing has remained on the slow side this last week, but that doesn’t mean trophy pike were not caught this last week. Pike anglers have been focusing on mouths of shallow bays, rocky points and river mouths to find big pike. Large suckers fished under a bobber accounted for the majority of 40+ inch pike caught this last week. Large spoons, spinnerbaits and crankbaits were also effective.
Stream Trout - Rainbow trout remain a popular trout to target for trout anglers. Night crawlers fished 5-10ft under a bobber remain very effective. Small spoons, spinners and jig/twisters have also been effective on rainbows. Anglers fishing from a boat have been having good luck trolling small crankbaits over deep water and along standing timber.
Lake Trout - Season is closed inside and outside the BWCA.
September 24th, 2024
Fall temps have finally come to the Ely area and the fishing is starting to heat up!
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Finally, cooler, more normal temps have returned to the Ely area, which has helped the walleye bite on many Ely area lakes. Anglers have been reporting that they are starting to find some walleyes in the 12-20ft of water on large flats close to deep water. Here larger minnows on a lindy rig or a jig has been very effective. Reports of crawlers working well for anglers continue to come in. For crawlers, spinner rigs have been the way to fish them. Gold, gum ball, and orange/chartreuse have remained popular colors for anglers.
Smallmouth - Smallies have been the hottest bite happening right now. Smallies continue to be found in all classic smallmouth locations, but sunken islands with deep water around them have been the best location to find the really aggressive smallies. Out here, medium suckers or creek chubs have been deadly on the giant smallies. Tip these minnows on a jig or lindy rig and hang on!
Panfish - Crappies seem to be schooling up a little more this last week as anglers reported higher catch rates this last week. Cabbage beds have been the best location to find crappies, but standing timber has also been a good location to find crappies. Jig/twisters, beetle spins and the classic, crappie minnows under a bobber have been the way to go for crappies.
Stream Trout - Rainbows continue to be a popular catch for stream trout anglers this last week. Anglers fishing a night crawler, 5-10ft under a bobber, or floating one off the bottom, have had very good luck. Anglers fishing from a boat have simply been trolling small crankbaits, over deep water, and having very good luck.
Pike - Pike fishing has been a little bit hit or miss this last week for pike anglers. Some really big pike have been landed this last week, but there have been a fair amount of hammer handles caught too. Large suckers fished under a bobber and floated in shallow bays, rocky points or near river mouths have been effective on big pike.
September 17th, 2024
Unseasonably warm weather has cooled off the fall bite.
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Very unseasonably warm temps have largely shut down the fall bite. Instead trolling small crankbaits, with leadcore, continues to be the way to go for catching walleyes. Walleyes have largely been scattered over deep mud flats in 20-30 feet of water.
Smallmouth - Smallmouth fishing has cooled some too as smallies have also become more scattered with the warmer water temps. Shoreline structures like downed trees, boulder points and flats in 5-15 feet of water, have all been holding active smallies. Rivers too are also worth noting. In-line spinners, spinnerbaits, beetle spins and topwater baits, have all been producing fish.
Panfish - Crappies and sunfish don’t seem to mind this heat wave as they have been very active for anglers. Anglers continue to find them just outside or deep in the weedbeds. Small angleworms or waxies, fished under a bobber, have been very effective on those big gills. Crappies continue to hang out just outside the deep weed edge during the day, but as the sun sets in the evening, they slide up into the weedbeds to feed. Both locations they are hitting jig/twisters, beetle spins or a simple crappie minnow under a bobber.
Stream Trout - Rainbow trout have still been active, but have shifted to very late in the day, after dark or very early in the morning. Anglers continue to catch them from shore with a night crawler 5-10 ft under a bobber. Small spoons and jigs/twisters have also been producing here too. Anglers fishing from a boat continue to have luck catching rainbows trolling cowbells with small, bright colored crankbaits, out over deep water.
September 10th, 2024
Warm weather has cooled off the fall bite, but that doesn't mean anglers stopped catching big fish.
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Walleye anglers have struggled a little this last week. Recent cold snap has pushed most walleyes down to 15-20 feet of water. Leadcoring small crankbaits has been on fire and has been the top way to catch walleyes in these depths. Anglers have been focusing on large sand or mud flats for leadcoring. Jigging large minnows has also been worth knotting. Orange/Chartreuse, Gumball, and Pink/White jigs continue to be popular colors. Anglers jigging minnows have been focusing around river mouths and sunken islands in 15-30 feet of water.
Smallmouth - Smallies continue to be the easiest fish to catch right now as smallies have begun to fatten up for winter. Smallies can now be found just about anywhere. Sunken islands, rivers, river mouths, large boulder flats, downed trees and around islands. Small suckers have been red hot for smallies, out around sunken islands, but smallies relating to shorelines have been hitting topwater, in-line spinners, spinnerbaits and large paddle tails.
Panfish - Crappies and sunfish were starting to group up with that last cold snap, but recent warm weather has spread them out again. Nonetheless anglers have been catching good numbers and quality fish, both are being found in and around weedbeds. Sunfish are hanging out inside of the weedbeds while crappies are hanging just outside weedbeds, then moving into the weedbeds during the last hour of light. Beetle spins, jig/twisters have both accounted for the bulk of panfish being caught.
Pike - Pike anglers had mixed success this last week. Fishing for big pike picked up a little during the cool snap, but has slowed up with the current warm spell. Big pike were hitting large suckers, fished under a bobber. Large spoons, large crankbaits and large spinnerbaits, fished around river mouths and main lake points has been the best technique right now.
Stream Trout - Rainbow trout continue to bite for many anglers fishing the local stream trout lakes. Anglers fishing from shore continue to catch rainbows with a nightcrawler, fished under a bobber, 5-15 feet down. Small spoons and jig/twisters have also been catching rainbows. Anglers fishing in a boat have been having good luck catching rainbows, trolling cowbells, tipped with a small crankbait, or just trolling crankbaits over deep water.
September 3rd, 2024
The bite is really starting to shift to big minnows as water temps start to fall.
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Anglers are reporting that walleyes are quickly shifting to minnows as water temps begin to drop in Ely area lake. Location continues to be on the shallow side. 10-15 feet of water, and at times 5ft and even less, continue to be reported by anglers. Windy points, windy flats and river mouths. Orange, chartreuse, bubble gum and pink/white 1/4oz jigs, tipped with a large minnow, were very effective. Orange, chartreuse, red/white sinner rigs tipped with a crawler were also reported as being effective on walleye. Anglers have also been reporting that leadcore fishing small crankbaits has been very effective. Here anglers have been focusing on large flats in deeper water.
Smallmouth - Smallies continue to shift to sunken islands as temperatures continue to drop. Anglers should expect this to continue until winter. Large minnows have been extremely effective out here. Again, 1/4oz or 3/8oz jigs, in orange, chartreuse, pink/white and bubble gum, have been very effective. Anglers not able to carry live bait or don’t want to use it, topwater, in-line spinners, spinnerbaits and Ned rigs, continue to be effective. These anglers have been focusing around downed timber, large flats with boulders, river mouths and main lake points, in 5-15ft of water.
Pike - Large pike continue to show up in anglers catches this last week. Anglers have mainly been finding pike patrolling weedlines in 10-15ft of water with large sucker minnows, fished under a bobber, large spoons and spinnerbaits. Pike have also begun to stage at river mouths, looking for minnows to dump out of the rivers as water temps continue to drop.
Stream Trout - Rainbow trout fishing continues to be consistent on many Ely area stream trout lakes. Slip bobber and a night crawler, floating 5-15 feet under the surface has been very effective. Small spoons, in-line spinners and jig/twister have been very effective also. Anglers fishing from a boat continue to troll cowbells with small crankbaits for easy limits of trout.
Panfish - Crappies continue to be found hanging out just outside of weedbeds during the day, but during the evening hours, crappies quickly slide into weedbeds in search of food. Anglers targeting crappies continue to use small beetle spins, jig/twister and crappie minnows under a bobber. Sunfish continue to be found in shallow weedbeds and around downed trees. Small angleworms or wax worms, fished under a bobber remains very effective.
Lake Trout - Lake trout reports continue to be few and far between this last week. The few anglers targeting lakers have been trolling with down riggers and large trolling spoons in 40-60 feet of water with mixed success.
August 27th, 2024
Stable weather has the fish biting and rumors of the fall bite starting!
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Stable weather has changed little with the walleye bite this last week. Shallow water walleyes continue to be found in the rocks and are hitting paddle tails on a 1/4oz jig. Walleyes out on the sunken islands are still hitting orange or chartreuse colored spinner rigs, tipped with a leech or crawler and fished in 15-20ft of water. Trolling continues to improve on many area lakes. Here anglers are trolling crankbaits over large flats in 15-30 feet of water.
Smallmouth - Reports of great smallmouth fishing are coming from anglers looking for walleyes out on sunken islands. Here smallies have been hitting pike suckers fished on a jig, around sunken islands in 15-25ft of water. Smallies continue to also hit topwater baits early in the mornings or on cloudy days. Paddle tails, spinnerbaits and wacky worms have been effective on those shoreline smallies. Anglers should be looking for large boulders, timber and points, in 10 feet of water or less.
Panfish - Crappie and bluegill bite has been hot on many Ely area lakes. Anglers have been finding the bluegills in a weedbeds and around down trees. Small angleworms or wax worms, fished under a bobber has been very effective. Crappies too have been using the weedbeds, but more often than not don’t show up in the weedbeds until the evening hours when the gills slow down. Jig/twister, beetle spins and crappie minnow, under a bobber have all been effective on crappies.
Pike - Large pike have started to show up in many anglers catches this last week. Anglers have been catching pike while fishing medium to large suckers under a bobber, right off their docks. Anglers fishing from a boat have been casting or trolling large spoons and crankbaits along weedlines or mouths of shallow bays.
Stream Trout - Rainbow trout have remained active this last week for many anglers. Trolling cowbells, tipped with a small spoon or crankbait, over deep water, continues to be very effective. Anglers fishing from shore or off a dock have also been having good luck catching trout. Night crawlers fished 5-10 feet under a bobber have been the way to go.
Lake Trout - Laker reports have cooled off this last week, which isn’t surprising considering how hot it was last week. Anglers continue to fish for them with down riggers and large trolling spoons along the thermocline in 40-60 feet of water. Anglers fishing from a canoe have been having some luck jigging large bucktails and heavy tube jigs over deep water.
August 20th, 2024
Stable weather has the fish biting again! That and much, much more in Ely's #1 fishing report.
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Stable weather has improved the walleye bite on many Ely area lakes. Shallow water bite has returned on many area lakes also. Anglers fishing this bite have been catching walleyes in 6-10ft of water. Here paddle tails remain very popular and effective. Slip bobber and a leech, during the evening hours, in weedbeds or weedlines. Spinner rigs, tipped with a crawler, have remained very effective out on sunken islands. Pike suckers tipped on a 1/4oz or 3/8oz jig is also worth noting out here. Out here anglers are working the edges of the structure in 15-25ft of water. Trolling bite also remains very strong. Here anglers are trolling crankbaits in 15-20 feet of water, over large flats. Hot colors continue to be orange, chartreuse, gumball and gold.
Smallmouth - Smallies continue to hit topwater early in the mornings or all day on cloudy days. Here anglers have been working shoreline structures like large boulders, timber and boulder flats. Once the sun gets up the big smallies slide out to sunken islands. Here anglers have been catching big smallies with small sucker minnows and soft plastics.
Panfish - Crappies and sunnies are both being found in and around weedbeds. Anglers continue to catch crappies just off the weedbeds during the day and inside the weedbeds during the evening hours. Beetle spins and jig/twister also remain very effective here. Sunnies have slid back into the shallow weedbeds and shoreline timber. Here, small angleworms, leech or wax worms, fished under a bobber have been very effective on big bluegills.
Stream Trout - Rainbow trout have been active this last week for shore anglers. These anglers have been fishing a night crawler, 5-10ft under a bobber during the evening hours. Anglers fishing from a boat, continue to troll cowbells with small crankbaits or spinner rigs, tipped with a crawler, over deep water.
Pike - Some big pike were reported this last week from many anglers targeting them. Medium to large suckers, fished under a large bobber accounted for the majority of them caught. Large topwater lures, large crankbaits and large spoons, fished at the mouth of shallow bays, river mouths and weedlines also accounted for their fair share of pike caught.
Lake Trout - Lake trout reports slowed up this last week. Covering ground, looking for active biters has been the key to catching lakers. Trolling with downriggers, along the thermocline, has been the way to go to catch trout. 40-60 feet of water remains the depth to look for lake trout.
August 13th, 2024
Major cold front has anglers thinking of fall fishing.
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Yet another major cold snap swept through the Ely area last week, dropping water temps from 76 to 68 degrees. Clearly this has thrown a wrench into the walleye bite for many. Cold weather had anglers thinking of large minnows on a jig or lindy rigging. These anglers were not disappointed as they were able to catch walleyes while others struggled. As weather conditions stabilized, walleyes have begun to bite again on spinner rigs, tipped with a crawler and slip bobbers with a leech floated over shallow rocks. Locations to find walleyes vary greatly from lake to lake now. Some lakes, river mouths have been hot, others sunken islands, weedlines, shallow rocky flats in 6-12 feet of water and for a handful of lakes, deep water trolling has been on fire. Hot colors remain orange/chartreuse, pink/white and gold.
Smallies - Smallies too can now be found in many locations. Shallow rocks and timber have been a good location for topwater fishing early in the mornings or cloudy days. As water warms up, big smallies have been sliding out to sunken islands where they feed on schools of ciscos. Here strolling large soft plastics has been deadly. Clearly not all smallies are doing the same thing, so anglers have also been finding smallies on shorelines with spinnerbaits and wacky worms.
Panfish - The sunfish and crappie bite has clearly cooled off. Dropping water temps kicked the sunnies out of the shallow water for a few days. Anglers found sunnies more on weedlines for a few days. Small wax worms were really effective on these guys. Last couple reports have the sunnies back up in weedbeds and pencil reeds. Small topwater flies, angleworms and small soft plastics have been effective again. Crappies have been hanging just off the weedbeds until the evening hours when they slide into the weedbeds. Beetle spins, jig/twister and small crankbaits have been effective here.
Stream Trout - Rainbows trout didn’t seem to mind the recent cold snap. Anglers continue to do good with rainbow trout trolling cowbells tipped with a small crankbait or spinner rig with half a crawler.
Lake Trout - Lakers too didn’t seem to mind the recent cold snap as anglers reported catching quality trout this last week. Anglers continue to use down riggers for dipsy divers down by the thermocline in 40-60 feet of water. Large flashy spoons have been the most popular lure to troll. Colors have varied greatly from angler to angler, so be sure to keep changing colors until you find the color of the day.
Pike - Pike fishing has remained somewhat slow as warm water temps have the big pike seeking cooler deeper water. Small pike continue to be caught by angler along weedlines, mouths of shallow bays and river mouths. Large spinnerbaits, minnow baits and spoons have been catching pike.
August 6th, 2024
Cool snap cools off the hot fishing in the Ely area…for now
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - The sudden cool snap has cooled off the walleye bite this last weekend. Before the cold snap walleyes were increasingly sliding deeper and out onto mid structure like humps and points. Many anglers have been catching walleyes on spinner rigs tipped with crawler or a leech, in 12-17 feet of water now. Orange, chartreuse and pink/white have remained the hot colors this week. Trolling season, for walleyes, is in full swing. Anglers trolling, have been trolling during the evening hours in 15-25ft of water. Large flats have been the areas to troll. On lakes with a healthy cisco population, anglers have been catching walleyes suspended 15-25ft down, over 30-60ft of water, chasing ciscos. White and blood nose colored crankbaits have been very effective here.
Smallmouth - Smallies have been back on the topwater bite this last week before the cold front came through. Since the cold snap anglers have had to slow down to more wacky rigs and Ned rigs, in order to catch smallies. As with the walleyes, smallies have been increasingly sliding out to mid lake structures, especially the big smallies. Smallies out here have been suspended off structure chasing ciscos. Here anglers have been looking for them with forward facing sonar and dropping 1/2oz jigs tipped with soft plastic on them.
Panfish - Panfish seem to be enjoying this warm weather. Sunnies are being found in shallow water with thick weeds and or timber in the water. Small leeches or a piece of crawler, fished under a bobber has been very effective on these fish. Crappies on the other hand, are being found out just off weedlines. Here beetle spins, small crankbaits and jig/twister have been very effective. During the evening hours crappies slide into the weedbeds looking to feed.
Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing has remained constant this last week. Anglers continue to troll the thermocline, looking for actively feeding trout with large trolling spoons. Anglers fishing from a canoe have also been having good luck on smaller lake trout lakes. Here anglers have been jigging heavy bucktails and tubes of the bottom.
Stream Trout - Rainbows have remained active this last week also. Anglers trolling cowbells, tipped with small crankbaits remains the most effective way to catch rainbows. Anglers fishing from shore have been reporting good luck with floating a night crawler under a bobber 10-15ft down.
July 30th, 2024
Its been hot, but so has the fishing. If you know where to look, when and with what!
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Hot conditions have started to push the walleyes out of shallows. While anglers continue to report catching walleye in 8ft of water and less, this bite only lasts until the sun gets above the trees. Once above the trees, walleyes are gone. Anglers fishing here have been throwing 3 and 4” paddle tails on 1/8 or 1/4 oz jigs. Rocky shorelines and rocky humps that top out in that 4-8ft of water. Once the sun gets up walleye transition to sunken islands and weedlines in 12-18ft of water. Out here spinner rigs in gold, chartreuse, red/white, tipped with a crawler or leech have been very effective at catching walleyes. Open water trolling bite is also in full swing. Anglers fishing this bite have been catching some quality walleyes during the evening hours, while trolling crankbaits just off deep water structure.
Smallmouth - Smallies too have been seeking out cooler water during this heatwave. Like with walleyes, early morning topwater bite remains effective, but as with walleyes, once the sun gets above the trees, it’s over. Rocky, shallow flats with quick access to deep water have been the areas to focus for this topwater bite. Once the sun gets up the smallies slide out the deeper structure like sunken islands and deep rocky points that are in that 10-20 feet of water. Here anglers have been strolling jigs, slow rolling spinnerbaits and in-line spinners.
Lake Trout - As water temps rise knowing where the thermocline is has become the key to consistently catching lakers. Anglers fishing the thermocline with downriggers and trolling spoons have been having good success right now. Jigging heavy bucktails and heavy tube baits, jigged around deep water structures has also been catching trout.
Stream Trout - Rainbow trout have been a popular trout again this last week. Anglers trolling with cowbells, with a small crankbait, remain very effective on rainbows. During the evening hours anglers have been fishing a night crawler 5-10ft under a bobber. Both remain very effective!
Pike - Pike anglers continue to report catching good numbers of pike, but size remains small as big pike are not fans of warm water temps. Large spoons, large crankbaits and in-line spinners have all been effective. River mouths, weedlines and mouths of shallow bays remain the places to find active pike.
Panfish - Anglers have been finding big gills in thick weedbeds and around down trees, this last week. Anglers have been catching these gills with small leeches, waxies or angleworms fished under a bobber. Crappies on the other hand have been sitting outside deep weedlines during the day. Beetle spins and jig/twisters have been effective in finding and catching crappies. As the sun goes down crappies will move into the weedbeds to feed. Here too, beetle spins and jig/twisters have been very effective.
July 23rd, 2024
The fish are now starting to settling into their summer patterns here in the Ely area.
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Walleye fishing continues to improve as anglers work out where the walleyes are and what they are biting on. Anglers are now finding walleyes working weedlines in 8-12ft of water. Here gold, perch and orange or chartreuse spinner rigs tipped with a leech or a crawler has been very effective. Windswept rock piles and rocky shorelines have also been a popular choice. Depth out here remains the same, 8-12ft with some of the bigger walleyes just off the edge of the structure. Here too, spinner rigs, jig with a leech or crawler, drifted over the top have been very effective. Reports of anglers catching walleye off their docks have also been coming in, but the majority of these walleyes have been small.
Smallmouth - Smallies have settled into their classic mid-summer spots. Anglers are finding them around large boulders found along shorelines with spinnerbaits, in-line spinners and soft plastics. Early morning topwater bite continues to be effective for those early morning risers. As the sun gets up that bite quickly cools off quickly.
Panfish - Sunfish and crappies continue to be found working weedlines and inside weedbeds. Big gills are almost being found exclusively inside the thickest weeds you can find. Small worms or wax worms, fished under a bobber have been very effective on finding them and catching them. Crappies have been a little more scattered, but are mainly being found just outside the weedbeds during the day, then as the sun goes down, they push into the weedbeds. Search baits like beetle spins and jig/twisters have been very effective in finding and catching these crappies.
Pike - Pike anglers have been reporting good numbers of quality size pike being caught, but large pike (30” +) have been somewhat few and far between. Anglers have been throwing large spoons, spinnerbaits, crankbaits and buzzbaits for pike, mainly along weedlines, river mouths and the mouths of bays, in 8-15ft of water.
Stream Trout - Rainbow trout have been very active on area lakes. Limits of nice rainbows are being caught trolling cowbells, tipped with a small crankbait or spinner tipped with a crawler. Anglers fishing from shore have also been getting limits of rainbows fishing a night crawler under a bobber, about 5-10 feet down. Evenings have been the best time for this bite.
Lake Trout - Lake Trout anglers have been reporting catching good numbers and size lakers trolling with trolling spoons behind a down rigger. Anglers should watch for the thermocline on their depth finders and position their baits very close to it. Open water trolling has been the most effective as of late.
July 16th, 2024
It’s pretty clear that the smile on her face says the walleyes are biting again!
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Walleye fishing continues to improve. Reports of where anglers are catching walleyes have been scattered widely. Shallow water has been surprising one given how hot it has been this last week. There have been multiple reports of some big walleyes being caught in 8-12 feet of water, with a handful coming even shallower like 3-4ft. Weedlines and rocks have been the structure to fish. Here anglers have been throwing small paddle tails to match the clouds of minnows in the shallows. Sunken islands have also been a popular place to find walleyes. Here anglers are finding walleyes on humps that top out in 12-20ft of water. Anglers are pulling gold, orange and perch colored spinner rigs tipped with a leech or crawler. Not all sunken islands are covered with walleyes, so if you don’t see them on your electronics, keep moving. Third and definitely not least has been trolling crankbaits with leadcore. Here, large sand flats in 15-25 feet of water have the place to troll.
Smallmouth Bass - Smallmouth bass fishing has remained consistent for bass anglers. Anglers continue to catch good numbers of bass on topwater early in the morning, working shoreline structure. As the sun gets up anglers switch up to subsurface by throwing wacky worms, chatterbaits and paddle tails. Anglers looking to target trophy smallies should work shorelines in the early morning, then switch to sunken islands during the day. Forward facing sonar, looking for big smallies, then strolling has been very popular and effective.
Panfish - Sunfish seem to have wrapped up spawning, but continue to be found in shallow weedbeds. Here small leeches tipped on a jig have been deadly, but small pieces of a nightcrawler have also been effective for anglers. Crappies have largely moved out of the weedbeds during the day and out over deep water during the day. During the evening’s they are sliding up into weedbeds to feed. Crappie minnow under a bobber, jig/twister and beetle spins have been very effective during this period.
Pike - Pike anglers have been reporting catching good numbers of pike, but the big trophy pike have been elusive. Anglers have been targeting them in weedbeds, river mouths and shallow bays. Anglers have been trolling large spoons and large crankbaits. Casting large spinnerbaits and in-line spinners has also been very effective.
Lake Trout - Lake trout anglers have been reporting some good fishing this last week. Trolling with down riggers and trolling spoons has been very effective when fished close to the thermocline. Large flashy trolling spoons have been best. Best color seems to depend more on the angler, then the fish.
Stream Trout - Stream trout too, was very popular for good reason. The trout have been biting! Here too, anglers have been trolling to catch trout. Cowbells fished with small crankbaits, spinner tipped with a crawler have been very popular and effective.
July 9th, 2024
Anglers are reporting that we seemed to be over the mayfly hump and the bite is slowly picking up!
***Fishing Report***
Walleye - Walleye fishing continues to be on the slow side as mayflies continue to be active on many Ely area lakes. The good news is that it seems we are over the hump and heavy mayfly hatches seemed to have ended on many Ely area lakes. Anglers have been reporting that the key to catching walleyes has been covering ground and looking for active fish. Anglers have been pulling gold, red/white and chartreuse spinner rigs tipped with crawlers or leech, in 15-18 feet of water. Windy shorelines, points and sunken islands have been the places to look for active walleyes. Trolling crankbaits is also worth noting.
Smallmouth - Smallmouth bass fishing has cooled off a little as water temps rise and the big smallies transition out to their mid summer haunts. Topwater fishing has remained very effective but the best bite has been early in the morning, generally before the sun gets above the trees. Once the sun gets up subsurface baits like wacky worms, chatterbaits and in-line spinners become a more effective approach to catching smallies. Shoreline structures like points, large boulders flats, river mouths and downed trees are all good structures to target smallies.
Panfish - Anglers have been enjoying a good crappie and sunfish bite on many of the Ely area panfish lakes. Sunfish can be found in the pencil reeds or wild rice beds. Here a bobber, small jig tipped with a wax worm or small piece of an angleworm, has been very effective. Crappies have been active mainly during the evening hours. Small jig/twister, beetle spins and hair jigs, fished near cabbage beds or lily pads have been very effective.
Pike - Pike anglers reported good pike fishing this last week, but it seemed the big pike were elusive. Like the walleye anglers, pike anglers reported that covering ground was the best approach to catching numbers of quality pike. Pike anglers casted or trolled large spoons, large crankbaits and in-line spinners in 8-14 feet of water.
Stream Trout - Rainbow trout remain fairly active this last week for anglers targeting them. Trolling has been the name of the game for rainbows right now. Anglers have been trolling cowbells with small spoons, lindy rigs and crankbaits behind the cowbells. Key depth has been 15-30 feet of water.
Lake Trout - Lakers have been a challenging fish to catch this last week, which is normal this time of the year. Angler catching lakers have been trolling large trolling spoons, with down riggers set 30-40 feet down. Anglers should be looking for the thermocline and set your bait to run at that depth. Popular colors have been blood nose, blue/silver and wonder bread, and most anglers are trolling close to deep humps and open water.
