August 6th, 2024

***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

***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

***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

***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

 ***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. 

July 2nd, 2024

***Fishing Report***

Walleye - As water levels start to drop, the walleye bite has picked up on many area lakes. Current areas have become the hot spot to find active walleyes on many Ely area lakes right now. Anglers have been fishing these areas with a jig tipped with a minnow, leech or crawler. Clearly not all walleyes are doing the same thing in any one lakes, so anglers have also been finding some walleyes out on sunken islands and points with a slip bobber and leech, lindy rigs and crankbaits. 14-20 feet of water has been the key depth for everyone and gold, black/orange and pink/white remain top colors. 

Smallmouth - Smallmouth anglers continue to enjoy excellent bass fishing right now. Smallies have slipped down a little bite to 10ft of water, but anglers continue to catch them with topwater bait, chatterbaits, and in-line spinners. Rocky shorelines, downed trees and large points have been areas to focus on. 

Pike - Large trophy pike are starting to return to the shallows as cabin owners are reportedly seeing them under their docks and anglers are catching them in the shallows. Large sucker minnows fished under a bobber, large crankbaits and large spoons have all been catching these big pike. Shallow bays with healthy weed growth have been the areas to fish for these pike. 

Panfish - Panfish have been very active this last week. Anglers have been catching quality gills around pencil reeds and coontail beds. Small jigs tipped with a piece of an angleworm and fished under a bobber. Crappies have been mixed in with the gills, but they prefer cabbage beds to swim in. Crappie's bite seems to hit its peak during the last hours of daylight. Jig/twister and crappie minnow have been very effective on crappies. 

Stream Trout - Mayfly hatches have rainbow trout slurping them off the surface during the evening hours. Fly fisherman have been having good luck catching rainbow with large hex fly patterns, floated on the surface. Other anglers have been trolling cowbells with small crankbaits, half a crawlers and flashy spoons trolled behind them and have been having good luck. Both anglers have simply been fishing out over deep water. 

June 25th, 2024

***Fishing Report***

Walleye - Walleye fishing can’t be fantastic all the time, even in the Ely area. Heavy rains and heavy mayfly hatch has slowed the walleye bite down on many Ely area lakes. Heavy rains seemed to have pushed walleyes down to a depth of 20-25 feet of water over sand and mud flats. Lots of reports of mayflies hatching and anglers graphing clouds of them over mud. Walleyes have been right in with the mayflies. Medium size leeches fished under a bobber, jig or drop shot has been effective. Jig and half a crawler has also been worth noting. Pink/white, gold and green/chartreuse have been popular colors this last week. 

Smallmouth - Reports of smallies with spawn in them continue to come in on many area lakes. Unstable weather and water temps still fluctuating as low as 60 degrees seems to be the cause of this. Nonetheless anglers are enjoying excellent smallmouth fishing. All kinds of topwater baits continue to be very popular, but in-line spinners, Ned rigs, paddle tails and chatter baits also are producing good numbers of fish. All anglers are simply fishing shoreline structures like shallow boulder flats, downed trees and points.

Panfish - Finally some reports of good sunfish and crappie fishing is being reported on many of the shallower panfish lakes in the Ely area. Crappies and sunnies have been hitting jig/twisters, beetle spins, angleworms or small leeches, under a bobber, in 3-7 feet of water. Best crappie fishing has been the last hour or two of light on many lakes. Anglers should look to pencil reeds, shallow rock and weedy bays for panfish. 

Stream Trout - Rainbow trout have been taking full advantage of the mayfly hatch. Fly fishermen have also been taking advantage of the rainbows eating mayflies and have been throwing large mayfly imitations and simply letting them sit on the surface. For all you non fly fisherman, a night crawler set about 5-10 feet under a bobber has been effective. Trolling small spoons and small crankbaits has also been efficient on rainbows this last week. 

Pike - If there’s one fish that seems to enjoy the rains and cool water temps, it’s the pike. While overall size remains on the small side, good numbers of them are being caught by those targeting them. Classic daredevils, large spinnerbaits and buzzbaits have been very effective. Anglers should be looking to the mouth of shallow bays, river mouths and weedbeds for active pike. 

June 18th, 2024

***Fishing Report***

Walleye - Another week of unsettled weather and reports of mayflies hatching has the walleyes bite inconsistent for many this last week. Anglers catching walleyes are still finding them in shallow water. 5-15 feet, over sand or near current areas have been best. High water and strong flows have river mouths attracting good numbers of walleyes again. Anglers have been having good luck slip bobbering leeches, trolling crankbaits, jigs tipped with a minnow or crawler, or pulling lindy rigs with a leech or minnow. Popular colors remain gold, black/orange, pink/white.

Smallmouth - With water temps still hovering in the high 50’s to low 60’s, reports of smallies with eggs in them, are still coming in from anglers from many area lakes. These anglers have been throwing topwater baits, chatterbaits, Ned rigs and in-line spinners and have been having fantastic time catching smallies. Anglers should keep focusing on shoreline flats, downed trees and current areas to find active smallies. 

Crappies - As with smallies, anglers are still finding dark colored crappies on many of the area's bigger crappies lakes. On these lakes, anglers have been finding crappies at the mouths of shallow bays, around shallow rocks or weeds. Here, crappie minnow under a bobber has been very effective. On shallower crappie lakes, crappies have spawned and are now cruising around downed trees, lily pads and weedbeds. Here jig/twister, small beetle spins and a crappie minnow under a bobber have been effective.

Stream Trout - Stream trout fishing on some of the more popular stream trout lakes was a little slower than usual thanks to mayflies hatching. Many anglers reported that rainbows showed little interest in the usual stream trout baits, while anglers who switched to large hex flies reported excellent trout fishing. These large flies have been very effective during the evening hours when mayflies are hatching.

Pike - Pike fishing was steady this last week, but the size of pike has remained small (30” and less) for many. Anglers continue to have good luck throwing large in-line spinners, spoons and large paddle tails. Shallow weedy bays and river mouths are the areas to key in on if you're looking to catch pike.

June 11th, 2024

***Fishing Report***

Walleye - After yet another week of high winds, walleye fishing has become more of a hit or miss affair. Anglers catching walleyes continue to catch walleyes with a jig and minnow, paddle tails or lindy rigs tipped with a minnow. Wind blown points, shallow flats and weed beds in 8-12 feet of water have been holding active walleyes. Key times to fish these spots have been early in the day or late in the evening. Gold, orange/black and pink/white have been the hot colors.

Smallmouth - Smallmouth bass are now either on their beds or off and the bite has been heating up fast! Topwater bite on many of the area's best smallmouth lakes has been fantastic right now. Chatterbaits, in-line spinners, Ned rigs and wacky worms have equally been effective on smallies. Anglers should be looking to shallow rocky shorelines and islands, around downed trees for the best bass fishing. 

Crappies - Several reports of dark colored crappies have been reported from several area lakes, so if you know what that means, you know what that means. Simple crappie minnow fished under a bobber has been very effective. 

Pike - With the high winds many anglers seemed out calm bays. Here they found active pike that were more than happy to bite. Anglers pitched heavy spoons, buzz baits and floating a large suckers under a bobber with great success. 

Stream Trout - Stream Trout anglers continue to find active trout cruising shorelines. Warmer water temps have stream trout starting to slide down a little now, so anglers have been setting their baits a little deeper in order to keep catching trout. Laying a crawler on the bottom, with some trout dough to help float it off the bottom has also been very effective. Anglers fishing from a boat have simply been trolling small crankbaits and spoons to catch active trout. 

Lake Trout - Lake trout anglers had a tough week, last week as high winds made it less than enjoyable to be out there. Trolling was the name of the game this last week. Anglers only needed to get their baits down to about 20-30 feet of water to catch trout. Leadcoring medium depth crankbaits and even jerk baits, was effective on lakers. Anglers trolled over deep mud flats, points and around sunken islands.

June 4th, 2024

***Fishing Report***

Walleye - After a week of high winds that seemed to completely change directions daily, walleyes are now pretty scattered throughout the lake. Walleyes can now be found on shallow scattered rocks, deep flats, river mouths (again), out around islands and even right off the end of many docks. Minnows continue to be the best bait for walleyes, but increasingly reports of leeches and crawlers working, are coming in. Best walleye reports continue to keep coming from shallow, scattered rocks with waves crashing into them in 2-10 feet of water. Here paddle tails, jig/minnow and spinner rigs, tipped with a minnow, have been very effective on these active walleyes. Handful of reports of shiners running have returned from a few area lakes and the walleye fishing has been lights out there. Top colors have been gold, orange/black and pink. 

Smallmouth - Depending on the lake, smallies could be wrapping up the spawn (shallow lakes), spawning (average depth lakes), or still waiting for water temps to get to spawning temps (deep water lakes). On shallow water lakes, anglers are throwing topwater baits, wacky worms and Ned rigs. On lakes where the bass are just starting to spawn, Ned rigs have been very popular out there. On deep water lakes where smallies are still looking to spawn, suspending jerk baits have been deadly. 

Pike - Pike have remained very active, but average size has dropped, as reported by anglers. For the best shot at a big pike, floating large suckers, under a bobber, in shallow bays or around river mouths. Anglers looking to just catch pike are having luck throwing large topwater baits, spoons and large spinnerbaits along shorelines and river mouths.

Stream Trout - Anglers not interested in getting blown around out on area lakes, went to the small stream trout lakes in search of active trout. Many were not disappointed. Anglers reported good fishing for rainbows on many area stream trout lakes. Small spoons, jig/twister, trout dough and night crawler floated under a bobber, have all been very effective on rainbows. 

May 28th, 2024

***Fishing Report***

Walleye - Walleyes are on the move! Majority of walleyes have now left the current areas and started working their way to large, wind blown points, islands, rocky shorelines and shallow flats with basketball size boulders scattered around. Best depth to catch walleyes has slipped down a little to 7-9 feet of water, but bait of choice has not changed. Larger minnows, paddle tails, twisters and minnow baits have remained very effective. When weather conditions were less than ideal, anglers found walleyes sitting just off breaks in 16-20 feet of water. Mostly minnows for this depth. Hot colors this week have been gold, pink and black/orange. 

Smallmouth - Water temps now ranging from 57-63 degrees, so smallies are now starting to show up on their beds on many area lakes. Anglers have been throwing Ned rigs, jerk baits and even a little topwater along shallow flats. 

Pike - Pike fishing from shore, was a popular choice this last week as high winds kept most anglers on shore. Heavy suckers were a popular choice for anglers for good reason, pike love them!  Right off the dock, river mouths and shallow bays are the areas anglers are finding active pike. 

Crappies - Cool weather has paused any spawning that was taking place on area lakes. Anglers have been finding crappie hanging out at the mouth of shallow bays in 10-15 feet of water, over and around rocks. Hair jigs, tipped with a minnow, fished under a bobber have been very effective once crappies are located. 

Stream Trout - Stream trout anglers have been enjoying a steady bite on area stream trout lakes. Trout anglers have been catching nice rainbows fishing a night crawler under a bobber during the early morning or evening hours. Anglers fishing for brookies or splake have been having luck with trout dough and a night crawler, floated off the bottom. Anglers fishing from a boat have been trolling brightly colored minnow baits and silver and blue little cleo’s. 

Lake Trout - Lake trout reports have been few and far between, which is normal early in the season as lake trout can be anywhere. Anglers continue to run into lakers while fishing shallow looking for walleyes. Floating minnow baits, paddle tails and jigs tipped with a small sucker have been accounting for the majority of lake trout reports. Anglers have been having luck trolling, trolling spoons on leadcore, 15-25 feet down. 

May 21st, 2024

***Fishing Report***

Walleye - Walleye fishing has been excellent for many Ely area anglers. Key depth to fish continues to be from 2-9 feet of water. Multiple reports, from anglers, of walleye stomachs being packed full of minnows, has anglers focusing on river mouths, shallow bays and windy shorelines, during the late evening hours or early mornings. Anglers catching walleyes have been throwing paddle tails, minnow baits, lindy rigs (tipped with a minnow) and jigs tipped with a minnow. Popular colors have been gold, gold/white, pink/white and blue/white. Interestingly, multiple groups reported caught very large walleyes while pike fishing with lite and/or heavy suckers. If you're struggling catching small walleyes, maybe your bait is too small.

Pike - Pike fishing continues to be hot and heavy for many pike anglers. Pike anglers have been having great success floating heavy suckers under a bobber, in shallow bays and river mouths. Large spoons, buzzbaits and large minnow baits are also being thrown, with great success, in these same areas. 

Smallmouth - Smallies are slowly sliding up onto shallow rock as they near their spawn. Anglers targeting them have been having success using Ned Rigs and suspending jerk minnows. Areas to target have been out around islands and shallow rocky flats. 

Crappies - Many anglers reported good crappie fishing this last week on several area lakes. With water temp still hanging in the 50’s, crappies still have yet to start spawning on area lakes. Anglers have been finding crappies either staging at the mouth of shallow bays they are looking to spawn in or are in the shallows waiting for spawning temps. Anglers have been using a simple jig and crappie minnow, under a bobber, to catch these crappies. 

Stream Trout - Rainbows have been active on area stream trout lakes, this last week. Anglers fishing from shore have been using a simple night crawlers under a bobber, about 5-10 feet down. Anglers fishing from a boat have been trolling small, brightly colored, minnow baits around. Small handful of anglers also reported having good success trolling cowbells, to catch nice rainbows. 

May 14, 2024

***Fishing Report***

Walleye - Walleye anglers were greeted with warm water temps and clear blue skies. Water temps are being reported from 51-59 degrees. Anglers that fished this opener like they did last year, struggled. Small walleyes, too small to keep, we’re a common catch. Yes, a few keepers were landed, but… These anglers reported catching walleyes in 14-20 feet of water on a jig and minnows. So, where was the hot bite? Where were the big keepers, everyone wants, caught? Super shallow water. 2-7 feet of water, max! Here anglers are catching walleyes pitching 1/16oz to 1/8oz jigs, tipped with a good lively rainbow. Bigger the rainbow the better! Shallow sand flats, gravel, or near slow moving creeks entering a lake were the best place to find these active walleyes. Top jig colors reported were, green…yes green, bubble gum, blue and white. 

Pike - Pike anglers had a great time catching good numbers of quality pike over opening weekend. Large pike however, over 40”, proved to be very challenging to find. Large suckers, fished under a bobber, was very effective as several groups had to return to the shop, the same day, for more large suckers. Pike anglers found pike in shallow bays with emerging weeds or a slow moving creek entering the lake. 

Crappies - With water temps getting close to the 60’s, anglers looking for something to fish for, before walleye opener, found dark colored crappies in shallow water staging to spawn, in 2-6 feet of water, on many area lakes. Crappie minnows fished under a bobber or hair jigs fished back in shallow, sun soaked bays, were very effective catching nice crappies. 

Stream Trout - Anglers seeking stream trout, over opening weekend, enjoyed light fishing pressure and active trout. Small silver and blue spoons, spinners, and the ever popular night crawler, were all very popular and very effective stream trout. Shore anglers and boat anglers alike, enjoyed good stream trout fishing. 

Smallmouth - Smallmouth bass reports were few and far between. Reports of bass being caught were mainly from walleyes guys, targeting walleyes. With water temps very close to 60, smallies are staged in shallow bays looking to spawn, very soon. The small group of smallmouth anglers, targeting smallies, reported finding smallies in 5 ft of water or less. As you can imagine Ned rigs and tubes were very effective on these bass. 

March 12th, 2024

***Ice Report***

Ice conditions are quickly deteriorating in the Ely area. Shoreline ice is beginning to pull away from the shorelines, cracks are opening up out on area lakes and open water is being reported on many area lakes. 4 wheeler and side by side travel, over ice, is no longer recommended. Foot travel only now. Anglers looking to still ice fish should look to smaller lakes, to get out on. The smaller the better your odds are to get out on them and fish. 

***Fishing Report***

Lake Trout - Not many anglers fished for lakers this weekend so reported are limited. The few anglers that went out generally reported slow fishing for lakers this weekend. Anglers continued to find lakers out over deep 60-80 feet of water. Small silver and blue, lipless crankbaits or tubes fished about 20 feet under the ice. 

Crappie - Crappie fishing has remained largely hit or miss. Seems the majority of anglers are able to catch crappies, but size and numbers remains the main challenge. Anglers catching crappies have been with purple, white and pink jigs tipped with crappie minnows. More active crappies have been hitting soft plastics in red or white. Panfish are starting to school up in 15-25 feet of water.

March 5th, 2024

***Ice Report***

Ice conditions are slowly starting to swing the other way now and start to deteriorate. Several days of well above average temperatures has burned off all the snow area lakes. High winds have caused pressure ridges to form and large cracks to open up on a few Ely area lakes. Ice thickness on lake trout lakes ranges from 7-11 inches now. Other area lakes are being reported to be 11-15 inches. Side by sides are no longer recommended. 4 wheelers with chains and foot travel, with ice cleats, has become the safest way to travel across lakes. Ice along north shorelines is really starting to melt and open up, so be careful!

***Fishing Report***

Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing picked up this last weekend for many anglers. Several reports of lakers being caught out over deep water were reported this last weekend.  Anglers found them out over 50-80 feet of water about 20-30 ft under the ice. Tube in red/white, pink/white and chartreuse were hot colors

Stream Trout - Rainbow trout continue to be active and easy to catch for ice anglers. Anglers have been finding them a little deeper then usual. 20-40 feet of water, over mud has been the best areas to target active rainbow. Seems the bugs are getting active in the mud. Small jigs or jigging spoons, tipped with wax worms or dead minnows have been effective.

Panfish - Crappies continue to be challenging for ice anglers. Small handful of anglers are able to put together a limit, but most anglers are struggling to find or stay on active crappies. Crappies continue to be found tight to the bottom. Crappie minnows have been the best bait for these inactive crappies. Anglers have been finding crappies in 16-25 feet of water.  

February 27th, 2024

***Ice Report***

No improvements were made this last week in the Ely area. Ice thickness remains between 12-16” on shallower lakes in the Ely area and 8-14” on deeper lake trout lakes. Very little to no snow has travel limited to skates, foot, 4 wheelers and side by sides. 

***Fishing Report***

Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing has been challenging to say the least. Many anglers, this last week, struggled to get lakers to leave the bottom or even stop and show interest in their baits. Small jigging spoons and live bait placed 6-12” off the bottom seemed to be anglers best approach to catching lakers. Sunken islands that top out in 20-40 feet seemed to be the most productive structure to fish. 

Panfish - Panfishing has been like the weather. One day hot, next day ice cold. Finding panfish doesn’t seem to be the issue anglers are having. Finding panfish that aren’t glued to the bottom and active is the challenge. Drilling lots of holes and moving has been key for a successful outing. Crappie minnows, under a bobber, for negative panfish has been productive on negative panfish. Panfish suspended off the bottom have been hitting small white or red colored soft plastics.

Stream Trout - Rainbow trout were a popular target this last week. Anglers reported good fishing for them on several area lakes. Early in the morning, anglers found them in shallow water 5-15 feet. Later in the day anglers found rainbows out over deeper water, 20-50 feet of water. Either location, rainbows are being caught 5-15 feet under the ice on small spoons or tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms. 

Eelpout - Recent full moon has eelpout activity high and a lot of anglers taking full advantage. Bright glowing tubes or heavy pout spoons, loaded with chunks of minnows and pounded on the bottom, has been very effective. 25-45 feet of water, around sunken islands or sharp drop offs close to flats have been the areas to look for eelpout. Depth seems to change every night, so find fish first before setting up for the night. 

February 20th, 2024

***Ice Report***

Little improvement happened this last week, with ice thickness, on area lakes. Anglers continue to report 8-14 inches of ice on area lake trout lakes. Thickness remains very inconsistent. Out on crappie and walleye lakes, anglers have been reporting 12-15” of ice. Snow cover is almost non-existent, so 4 wheelers and side by side are the best way to travel on area lakes. 

***Fishing Report***

Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing proved to be challenging this last weekend for trout anglers. Many anglers reported inactive lakers that stayed tight to the bottom in 30-50 feet of water. Lakers would come in, look, gone. Pounding the bottom with heavy tubes, tipped with suckers bellies, was effective to draw in lakers and keep them interested enough to bite. 

Stream Trout - Anglers reported good fishing for rainbow trout on area lakes. Best fishing seemed to be early in the morning. Small tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms or a dead minnow, dead sticked, have been very effective. Anglers report rainbows coming through 5-15 of water. Some big Splake have been caught this last week. Anglers catching these Splake are fishing in 15-25 feet of water. Rippin raps, small bucktails and small tubes have been effective.

Crappies - Crappies have begun to get active late last weekend. Anglers are finding them in 20-30 feet of water. Small jigs tipped with crappie minnows have been effective for inactive crappies while soft plastics have been better for active crappies. Purple, orange, pink and wonder bread have been the best colors. 

Eelpout - Eelpout have remained active again this week. Anglers continue to find eelpout deep in 45-65 feet of water. Bright glowing tubes or pout spoons, loaded with minnow chunks, have been very effective on them overnight. 

February 13th, 2024

***Ice Report***

Another warm week, with rain, then freezing temperatures have actually improved ice conditions on Ely area lakes. What little snow we had on the ice, is now largely gone thanks to the rain we got last week. Freezing temperatures and high winds quickly locked up any standing water. 12-16” of ice is being reported on just about all Ely area lakes. Lake trout anglers are still finding pockets of 8-9” of ice on lake trout lakes. These reports have been keeping anglers from driving out on the ice, so 4 wheelers and side by side continue to be the best way to travel on local lakes. 

***Fishing Reports***

Lake Trout - Lake trout reports were good going into the weekend, but as the weekend wrapped up, the bite had slowed. Anglers have been reporting that bigger lakers were flying high, right under the ice. Small lakers were staying tight to the bottom. Those high flyers have been very challenging to get to bite. Many anglers have been saying they fly in, look, gone. Lakers on the bottom have been hitting small suckers or rainbows, right on the bottom, in 30-50 feet of water. 

Walleye - Walleye fishing suddenly improved pre rain and even post rain. Time of day has not changed. It’s still a evening and after dark bite, but many anglers reported that walleyes were hitting jigging spoons again, as well as rattle reels. Rainbows and pike suckers were the most effective minnow and 20-25 feet of water, over deep mud. 

Crappie - Crappies were really starting to get active last week, until the rain started. Anglers were finding active crappies 10-15 feet off the bottom in 20-30 feet of water. Small tungsten jigs, tipped with soft plastics, waxies or crappie minnows. 

Eelpout - Eelpout continue to keep popping up in anglers catches as they continue to get more and more active during the evening and overnight hours. Heavy jigs and bright glowing tubes, both loaded with minnow or smelt chunks and pounded on the bottom, has been very effective. Depths anglers are reporting is different every night, but have been between 30-60 feet of water, over deep flats, around sunken islands are along sharpe drop offs. 

February 6th, 2024

***Ice Report***

Ice conditions have changed little in the Ely area this last week. Angler have been running 4 wheelers, snowmobiles and side by sides on area lakes. Walleye, crappie and stream trout lakes have between 12-16” of clear, solid ice. Lake trout lakes are a little behind with 8-12” of clear solid ice. Snow cover varies from 5” to nothing. With the warm temps, slush has popped up on many area lakes, but has not been much of a issue for anglers. 

***Fishing Report***

Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing was slow but steady for many anglers. Some real quality lakers were caught this last week on red/white and chartreuse colored tubes. Early and late in the day seemed to be when those big trout were active. Small suckers on the bottom, under a tip up, was very effective on those lakers that were inactive and wouldn’t leave bottom. 

Crappies - Warm, late March like temps had many anglers out looking for active crappies. Many angler were not disappointed! Active crappies were caught 10-15 feet under the ice, over 20-30 feet of water. Crappie minnows and soft plastics in white or red, were very effective. 

Stream Trout - Warm temps had rainbows and Splake active in area lakes. Rainbows were hitting wax worms and salmon eggs, tipped on a small tungsten jig and dead stick. Key depth for rainbows was 5-10 feet under the ice in 20-30 feet of water. Splake on the other hand we’re liking a active bait. Small ripping raps, small 3” tubes and waxies on a spoon were all effective. Key depths for Splake were 10-15 feet of water. 

Walleye - Walleye fishing was on the tough side this last week. Deadsticking or rattle reels accounted for the majority of walleyes caught this last week. Evening and overnight hours have remained the best time. Small handful of walleyes were caught mixed in with crappies too. Mud flats have been the best areas to target in 20-25 feet of water. 

Eelpout - Eelpout reports are starting to trickle in as eelpout become active. Anglers have been finding them pretty deep in 50-65 feet of water. Deep flats have been best. Bright glowing eelpout jigs or bright glowing tubes, loaded with minnow chunks or frozen smelt have been getting bites

January 30th, 2024

***Ice Report***

Warm temps have cooled off the ice making process. Little progress was made this last week. 6-12” of ice is being reported on local lake trout lakes. 12-16” of ice is being reported on other area lakes. Thanks to warm temps, slush and water on the ice has become very common on area lakes. This issue is expected to grow as water temperatures remain in the forecast.  

***Fishing Report***

Lake Trout - Lake trout fishing remains slow for many anglers. Many of the lakers being caught this last week, were caught with a sucker suspended just off the bottom, under a tip up. Deep flats in 30-50 feet of water have been best. 

Walleye - Walleye anglers reported good fishing this last week. Best bite has mainly been after dark, in 20-25 feet of water. Rattle reels tipped with a lively minnow, like a rainbow, has been the most popular for successful anglers. 

Crappies - Warmer then usual temps had many die hard spring crappie anglers out and about checking spring crappie spots. Unfortunately many were not greeted with traditionally good spring crappie bite, but rather slow late January bite. Deep holes, over 20 feet of water, held crappies. Active crappies hit small tungsten jigs, tipped with soft plastics. Old standbys like a crappie minnow under a bobber, was also very effective on crappies.

Stream Trout - Many anglers focused on Splake and Brook trout this last week. Anglers reported them being on the fussy side too. Lots of trout seen coming into baits but rejecting the bait. Deadsticking a freshly salted minnow proved to be the best technique to get them to bite. Splake were mainly found in 15-30 feet of water while Brook trout were found in 5 feet of water or less.