How's the fishing around Ely been lately?

[chaffmj]

I'm headed up to Big Lake tomorrow and am wondering on how the fishing around Ely has been. What's working and what's not?

Great Outdoors what are your store hours tomorrow?

I'll post a report when I get back.

Thanks,

Chaff

[JustinG]

Chaff, I was wondering the same thing!! The weather has been too nasty for me to get out in the last 2 weeks. Been busy at work too.

If the rain stops tomorrow and the wind dies down , I just might have to get out there...yeah, right!

The last time I was out, big minnows and jigs were working really well.

Justin

[Great Outdoors]

chaffmj

I'm working in the store, building some cabinets and shelves. Have a few minnows (not many) left in the tank, and quite a few night crawlers.

Not open for business, but pound on the door if you see the white Dodge parked outside.

I should be there from around 9-4, with occasional trips to the lumber yard or hardware store.

[chaffmj]

Thnaks Justin and GO.

[MooseTrack]

Fishing has been great if you can dodge the rain and wind. I have been out on several different lakes and have found fishing has been good to excellent. Minnows have been the key on jigs and lindy rigs in 10-25 fow. crappie fishing has been excelllent if you can find them.

[yoppdk]

chaffmj: Wonder how you did on Big? A buddy and I were there Saturday 8-5 and had little action. We marked fish earlier in the day, but found them scarce and scattered. I blamed the lousy weather the couple days before ... how about you?

[Steve Foss]

Hmmm, I was out the Echo as far as Meander Lake on Saturday and passed a handful of guys in pickups with boats. Wonder if it was any of you guys?

[yoppdk]

Twas I in a gray Tundra pulling a gray Lund!

[chaffmj]

Yoppdk, in answer to your question I caught only one walleye. Were you fishing off the west side of the islands Sat afternoon?

Catfish, it wasn't me that you saw on the trail driving. I spent Fri and Sat at my place and didn't leave the lake till Sun morning.

Now for the weekend report.

Well I got up to Ely late Friday afternoon just as GO was leaving his shop. He went back in and gave me the rest of his minnows for free! You can't beat that kind of service with a stick. Anyways I didn't get around to fishing at all on Friday with the wind and all of the rain it was not my idea of fun. I and the dog hunkered down in the screen cabin for a rainy night of BSing. I did manage to get the weber going in the rain for some mighty tasty venison brats washed down with icy cold Molsons. Once the dog started to repeat his stories I knew it was time for sleep. Up at the crack of dawn at 9:00am, after going to bed early Friday night at 9:00pm ( It was great to get 12 hours of sleep) I was kind of excited to go out and do some fishing. The dog managed to change my plan though by rolling into who knows what kind of awful smelling poop! I couldn't leave him in the screen cabin like that and I couldn't let him in the boat so I spent the next half hour trying to drown him in the lake. I finally got out fishing and decided to just troll out in front of our property because I was wet and cold from giving the mutt a bath. On the second pass the unfamiliar (to me) tug of a walleye was felt and I set the hook and the fight was on. Well it didn't last long (about a minute) and I thought about keeping the 14.5 inch eye for supper but I threw him back thinking there would be more. A couple of more passes and a quick troll around the point and I headed in for lunch confident I would get more fish later in the afternoon using those fabulous minnows that GO had given me. After a hearty lunch of Skippy's super chunk peanut butter, cheddar cheese and raspberry jam sandwiches me and the dog went for a walk in the woods that I promised to take him on if he wouldn't roll in anymore poop. We hiked all over the peninsula and back into the bog thinking we would run into some grouse, deer and or moose but all we saw where red squirrels. It was still an excellent way to spend a couple of hours, just out walking around the woods with a friend that never complains. Now it was time to get serious about fishing. It was about 3:00pm and the sun was shining, the minnows were lively and the dog was tired. I started off trolling again because that was what worked in the morning. After a couple of passes and no luck I switched. The wind was blowing out of the bay so I went to drifting with a jig and minnow. Again nothing bit. I went around the other side of the point were it was calm and threw on a slip bobber fishing in about 12 fow off of a weed bed and still no takers. I took off to the south end of the lake and bobber fished in a spot that has produced in early spring before but again nothing. I tried another area jigging, went back to trolling cranks and ended up bobber fishing off my dock until I couldn't see, the results were the same, nothing. Unfortunately I had to head out early Sunday to get back to the cities to go to a friend’s dad’s wake. Once again there is no difference in the walleye population on Big Lake from me. Bring on the ice!

Thanks again for the bait Great Outdoors it definitely wasn’t the minnows fault that I didn’t catch anything!

[yoppdk]

Chaffmj:

Yes, we started the day on the humps on the west side of the islands and marked some fish as we usually do there. though we caught none. We headed to the south side of the lake and fished there a few hours, getting a few 14.5 inchers ... kinda small to keep but we did for dinner. We used to get nothing but 16-18 inchers ... but I guess they gotta be replaced by something, so here come the 14 inchers. We ended up out by the islands again in the late afternoon hoping those we marked earlier were active. Turns out they were not out there any more at all.

I noticed somebody out on their pontoon at a water access cabin ... was that you maybe?

I've always wanted to fish Big in winter but never have had a good opportunity. Now that we have a cabin just up the the Trail, we might just try it.

[chaffmj]

Yoppdk,

No I don't have a pontoon. I have a maroon lund explorer with a merc motor. I was fishing south of you guys around what they call two cabin point.

I haven't fished Big in the winter yet either. I have the laker bug so when I go up in the winter I fish Burntside. I have never seen anyone out ice fishing on Big but I think a guy would do ok.

[yoppdk]

Ah ... now I remember. I was heading over to fish two cabin point and didn't see your boat until I was almost there. We then headed over to the south side.

I have Burntside higher on my list of winter fishing priorities than Big. For me it should easier access (our place is at Nels Lake near the north arm road of Burntside) and I also have that Laker bug. We're looking for some good ice and snow already!