March 19th, 2025

***Fishing Report***

Crappie - Crappie anglers were out in force this last week as spring crappie fishing improves. Anglers have been reporting that crappies have mainly been biting in the afternoon hours on many Ely area crappie lakes. Crappies still remain on the negative side so wax worms have been best with crappie minnows and soft plastics also working, but just not as good. 

Lake Trout - Anglers continue to report catching good lakers this last week. Many anglers have shifted their focus to deep mud flats to find active lakers. With no snow on the ice anymore, sunlight is able to get through the ice and bugs have started getting active. With bugs there’s minnows and with minnows there’s lakers. Blade bait continue to produce the best results, but bucktails and tubes are still catching trout. Small to medium size minnows under tip ups have also been producing trout. 

Stream Trout - Rainbow trout continue to be found 5-15 feet under the ice over 20-70 feet of water. Small spoons or jigs tipped with a wax worms continues to catch trout. Splake and Brook trout are being caught in somewhat shallower water 5-20 feet. Dead minnows on a jig, or small spoons tipped with waxes have been very effective on them. 

***Ice Report***

Ice thickness remains 20-36” depending on the lake you are on. General rule of thumb is lake trout and large stream trout lakes are around the 20” mark while your panfish lakes are generally between 30-36” of ice. Anglers should be aware that with recent rains current areas have started to open up. There is very little to no snow left on area lakes, so leave the snowmobile at home.