Ely - Babbitt Fishing Reports - Lake Conditions Too.

[DTro]

What a great day on the lake yesterday!

I was greeted by a God's Country sunrise that words or pictures could not describe. Simply breathtaking.

I popped about 10 holes and planned on jumping around different depths to see if there was any sort of pattern.

A couple of weeks ago I was watching a Butch Furtman program and they were having great success using plain old gumball and whistler jigs. So my plan was to try using a ReelBait flasher jig tipped with a shiner. Unfortunately, I was unable to get any shiners in Tower, so I ended up tipping it with a 3" Pike Sucker minnow instead.

Well I dropped the rig down the first hole, and my bait didn't last 5 minutes down there, and here comes a nice red band screamin up to my bait. Fish ON!

Unlike some others, I really enjoy the taste of Lake Trout, and being as that I don't get up often, I was hoping to take a couple home to eat. Well keeping this fish now posed a big dilemma. If I caught another "keeper", I was done for the day. So my plan was that I had a slot from 20-27" anything outside goes back so I can keep fishing, anything in the slot, and I was done.

So I spent the next couple of hours bouncing around from hole to hole and marked a few fish, and decided to take a seat in the truck have some lunch, and wouldn't you know it as soon as I tore into my pastrami and rye, I look over and my flag is up! I quickly get out and get over to it, but I wasn't quick enough as the fish and bait were both gone

I then finished up my sandwich and headed back out. I decided to make a move and go shallower.

About 10 minutes at the shallow spot and I had a fish take a run and miss my bait, as I set the hook on nothing, and quickly tried to get it back down and here it comes again, and this time hit it good, but missed the hook and got the bait instead. So I ran over and got another and feverishly peel line off my baitcaster to get it back down. Not only did the fish come back up, but now he had 3 buddies with him racing up to it. Fastest fish wins Fish On!

Well it wasn't the biggest fish and fell in the under category in my personal slot at 19", but to my dismay, the fish was hooked pretty deep and I just didn't think it was OK to let it go, so at 12:30, my day was done

So I packed up my stuff and walked over to chat with another local that was out there and to ask if he wanted my unopened package of Ciscos. We had a nice chat, and I found out that he spent quite a few hours on the lake this year and hadn't caught a Laker yet. So I strongly suggested that he bounce around on all the holes I had drilled and particularly the hole I just saw 3 fish in.

I seriously couldn't have ordered a better day off a menu. Partly sunny, no wind, upper twenties for temp, manageable snow cover, and to top it off, just before I got back to my folks house, I had a big Gray Wolf meander out in front of me and we just sat and looked at each other for about 5 minutes, then he trotted off.

What a relaxing weekend, and I wish I would've had a couple more days to spend up there. For those of you fortunate to be right next to action, you are lucky SOB's

[Lee Lane]

also thanks mark...I wont ever give up hope...just thinking about some of the bigger class fish that Ive been catching in the last few years on b-side and what the bands looked like on my flasher in relation to their size and the size of some of the huge bands Ive seen at times wich were twice the size of the bands of the biggest fish Ive caught up there tells me theres gottaa be a half way decent and atleast fishable population of 15 lb plus fish. The biggest Ive seen was opening weekend this year over east of blueberry on some island I dont know the name of. My wife was fishing a cliff where it was 35 ft but you could only read 25 ft down cuz of the steep cliff and she yelled she had interference on her unit so I went over to look and I seen a pulsating comet with smaller bands below it that had to have been the tail portion of the fish when it was coming up ....when I told her that was a fish she raised up her bait and it chased but slower than a normal laker then just disappeared all together . it took up at least 3 ft on her flasher screen not counting the smaller trailing bands below it. If I had to speculate Id say it was a laker well over 20 lbs but without catching it , Its nothing more than a tall tale!

[Lee Lane]

Good story dtro.....I feel that way even when I do take a skunking up there ...its one of the only places I can get nuthin and still feel good about my trip. Also we had 5 wolves run across the ice way north of waters in one of them bays one morning and on the way up earlier seen 2 wolves on the ice on a lake right off the highway...robinson i think it was.

[Steve Foss]

A good day indeed, Darren. Thanks for sharing the report.

[Huey]

I was up there on Fri and Sat. Like dtro said, conditions were about perfect. I never even set-up my portable. It was nice to be outside and enjoy the scenery.

Fishing was slower for me. I got 2 lake trout on Friday; a little guy on a tip-up, which I tossed back, then a decent fish about 4 pounds that ended up on the dinner table. The second fish hit when I stopped jigging to clean slush out of the hole. Saturday I got 3 flags, I only hooked 1 fish, which I lost when my line broke. That was a 1st for me, I hope it doesn't happen again.

[DTro]

A good day indeed, Darren. Thanks for sharing the report.

Thanks to everyone here for sharing their reports and conditions (including a couple emails offline from Steve). You saved me a Ton of time and energy!

[Wanderer]

Good job Dtro. Limiting by mid-day while trying a new bait is pretty cool.

[Mike Stark]

nice work dtro...they use those reel bait flashers up on the red river of the north..i have a box full of them...might have to give them a try sometime...thanks for the report.

[Great Outdoors]

dtro,

We may be fortunate to live in the area, but look at what you have.

You get to take a nice leisurely drive for several hours, relax to the music on the radio, enjoy the roadside sights,& think about fishing.

I, on the other hand, go into the garage, get into the Ranger (with fold out fish house attached to the box, heated cab and doors)drive down a long, one block hill, onto Burntside Lake.

Way too fast to enjoy the travel experience!!

Gosh, I envy you!

[Mike Stark]

hey G.O....you been fishing at all??? or just crusing around in your fancy ranger?

[Great Outdoors]

I was out one day last week, a few lookers, but ziltch!!!!

Wanted to get out earlier today, but have to run into Ely for an appointment.

After that's done, think I'll stop at the shop, clean out the tanks, check the mail, then head out for an afternoon try, hopefully 12-4.

[Mike Stark]

good luck...i think im heading out tomorrow for a full day of laker fishing...cant get enough

[DTro]

Boy you got it tough G.O

Next time I make the drive I’ll think about you and sympathize as I’m casually shouting at the guy in front of me that has never been introduced to the term “cruise control” and the soothing feeling I get by watching my gas gauge drop like a rock, from town to town, not to mention all the therapeutic packing/unpacking that is involved.

I don’t know how you do it.

[Great Outdoors]

dtro

I don't know how I do it either!!

Guess after a while, it just becomes automatic, and don't think about it.

Perhaps I'll head out now for about 3-4 hours to see if I can catch a laker.

DANG, I hate those grueling 10 minute drives for fishing!!!!!!

[ironman]

sounds like I'll get to try laker fishing for the first time this week. Any tips? It seems like a daunting endevor..where to start? What baits and set ups would you reccommend starting out with?

[fishkid]

jig hard! and dont give up!

[Mike Stark]

ironman.... this will keep you busy. lots of good info on burntside lakers.

[Lee Lane]

Move often if you can deal with it or make sure your in a good spot. Even a bad spot on b-side has the potential to produce fish.

[Lee Lane]

[note from admin: please read forum policy before posting again. Thank You]

[Steve Foss]

jig hard! and dont give up!

+1!

None of the easy little lift-fall, lift-fall walleye stuff for Bside lakers. Jig sharp, jig often, jig hard. Commotion brings in lakers. Doesn't always trigger them, but you can't trigger them if you don't bring them in, and there are a handful of pretty successful Bside triggering techniques. And be sure that, while you are jigging loudly, you are carrying a softspoken tip-up nearby to tempt the fish that come in hot to the lure but won't close the sale.

Running and gunning vs sitting on a proven spot for a whole day? Both styles produce fish. It's really more a matter of personal preference and confidence than tactics. If you feel strongly one way is better than the other, then you'll be more confident pursuing your belief, and confidence increases concentration, which increases your catch.

[caseymcq]

... Running and gunning vs sitting on a proven spot for a whole day? ...

Six one way, half a dozen the other.

You never know when one will be swimming by. I have spent all day in a spot to have a fish finaly hit 30 minutes before sunset.

I have had fish hit within 5 minutes of being in a spot.

Total crapshoot.

Depends on if you want the scenery to change

Please keep the pictures coming, I have a feeling I will be fishing Burntside vicariously through you guys this winter

[Steve Foss]

Please keep the pictures coming, I have a feeling I will be fishing Burntside vicariously through you guys this winter

Lots more pics and in-depth reports on locations/tactics on Bside lakers in the HSO Club/Premium forum, Casey. If you can free up a day a week or two in advance to head up this way, drop me a line and we'll see if we can make a Bside trip happen. You gotta be going through a bit of withdrawal these days.

But considering how close you are to the Gunflint Trail now, you can drive in that direction and hit any of a number of excellent laker lakes in the time it would take you to hit Bside.

[caseymcq]

... You gotta be going through a bit of withdrawal these days.

I'm doing... ... alright...

I will probably take you up on that offer one of these weeks.

I will have to make my way up the Trail and hit some of those lakes for some different scenery... let me know if you ever want to head out to some other water.

[Steve Foss]

I will have to make my way up the Trail and hit some of those lakes for some different scenery... let me know if you ever want to head out to some other water.

There are already some loose plans in that direction, though nothing has been finalized. Shoot me an e-mail and we can talk about it.

And there's always an RABC and Lac la Croix.

[Wanderer]

I looked at Lac La Croix tonight on the map. I also remember someone commenting that you have to be on the Canadian side to access by snowmobile.

How are you thinking of getting in there?

Also, I have rellies in Buyck. Not too far from Crane Lake, which isn't too far from Namakan. Any comments to the fishing in Namakan? I don't even know if it has trout. It would be a nice weekend to stay with them and see if I could expose them to this disease.

[Wanderer]

Just caught the other thread about la Croix.

Still wondering about Namakan though.

[Steve Foss]

No trout in Namakan, Tracy.

[Mike Stark]

got skunked today....missed a nice fish and marked a few others..started off the morning fishing for smaller fish...then in the afternoon was targeting big fish...this is when i got the hit but missed it....meet up with foss towards the end of the day...it was a nice day on the ice

[Steve Foss]

started off the morning fishing for smaller fish

Huh?

I've caught several of my largest Bside lakers in the same spots I catch smaller fish.

Good hooking up with you today, Mike. Good luck out there again tomorrow.

[Mike Stark]

the area that i started off fishing i was more likely to catch eaters with a chance at a big fish...where i ended tends to hold only big lakers. first spot has more action...second spot not as much action but it only takes one pig to make things interesting. another reason i said i was fishing for smaller fish was because of the size of lure i was using. when im targeting bigger fish i use bigger lures.

hopefully red rock has a ducer for me....and hopefully they have a dual beam...i figure if im getting a new one i might as well pay the extra 20 bucks for the dual.