Ely - Babbitt Fishing Reports - Lake Conditions Too.

[Steve Foss]

I figured you were trolling those Cleos a bit slower. Looked like your speed was down a bit. Glad you hit 'em good with it! Just more evidence that trolling speed should be based on the action of the lure. Nobody else in my boat until 4 this afternoon. But I do have a seat on the bow platform with a lifejacket strapped to it. I've been told that looks like someone else in the boat at times.

I also only marked deep fish until later afternoon, then I saw good numbers of fish from 35 to 45 feet down.

[Mike Stark]

that must have been it...

[Mike Stark]

fished 1:30-6. 2 for 2. 3lber and a 1lber. the 3 fought like a 10lber. i thought i had a bigger fish. it took a few good runs. usally those smaller ones just come right up to the boat. 90fow 50ft down. jim flashbacks. not sure of the name of the color. it is neon green with a zig zag in the middle...silver back. 2-2.8mph.

[Steve Foss]

Were they both stockers, Mike?

[Mike Stark]

yes they were. i had one native fish yesterday. by the way foss...you got mail.

[Steve Foss]

Well, Mr. Stark and I had a lot of fun today on Bside, though we got the carp beat out of us by wind and wave and did not catch a single fish.

But we'll take our skunking like men!

It was the second time all summer I went fishless. To cap it all off, a pair of guys I took out on Saturday who are staying on Bside all week called me mid afternoon to tell me they'd had three fish on and landed one, a 5 lber. With no downriggers, they were using 40-foot Jet Divers and spoons. Glad to see they got into the fish!

We threw everything at them for this final day of the open water season. Downriggers, Jet Divers, longline with inline weights, spoons, spinners, Rapalas, cowbells, S-curves, speedups/slowdowns. We trolled from 1.8 to 4 mph, up the North Arm, all around the main bay between Dollar and Waters islands, the big bay off Van Vac, up by the Dead River, all around the deep side of Blueberry Island. Covered 40 to 120 FOW. Nada!

We even had a 2-lber surface a few feet from the boat over 73 FOW and wag his tail at us, the dirty bugger.

Surface temps were 54 again. I've searched the Web widely for info on what water temps trigger lakers to move toward shallow rock/gravel shoals for the autumn spawn, and could find nothing definitive from biologists. I found an Ontario resort site that says the spawn is triggered when water temps on those shoals hit 52 degrees. We found lots of suspended fish today on Bside over deep water, and also water as shallow as 60 feet, so it's clear at least some trout are still oriented over deep water.

[Mike Stark]

thanks for lettin me tag along foss..it was a good time...learned a lot..we paid our dues for january today! only three months till opener!

[Casaloma]

Good bye open water Lakers. The only salt is my tears as I feel a year older.

-Catch ya later. -CLoma

[ben h]

i know most of ya are lookin for trout reports so here it goes

trolling for northerns since the walleye were non existant in the blue sky calm weather and wouldnt ya know, laker, laker, laker, not a norhtern to be found biggest laker was a 5lb fish with the others bout 4lbs a piece. where they were a couple weeks ago i have no idea

[crabshack]

will be heading up to Snowbank at the beginning of January. Was wondering if anyone fishes there regularly and if you have any advice for a guy that is just making a weekend trip up from Iowa. I'm just looking to catch some eyes, pouts, and northern mostly. I know there are lakers in there but I'm thinking with our lack of mobility without a sled that trying to get on them might be tough.

we will most likely be walking (or skiing) in with protables. probably fishing around harri's Island (or within a couple hundred yards of it anyway) since that seems to be where the major access points are. I know Smitty's guides up there, but I dont want to hastle them for fishing advice on their lake when I'm not a paying customer (other than for bait most likely).

Just looking to get on some good fish and hopefully land a few. any advice would be greatly appreciated

[Steve Foss]

crabshack, welcome to HSO. Great to have you here.

If you buy your bait from Smitty's then by all means ask them for advice on where to fish. Any place worth their salt will give you some helpful advice when you buy bait and tackle from them.

I don't fish Snowbank for anything but lakers, so can't help you there. Just a reminder in case you do get into some lakers (you can find them in shallower water now and then in winter) that the laker season doesn't start there until Jan. 15.

[crabshack]

crabshack, welcome to HSO. Great to have you here.

If you buy your bait from Smitty's then by all means ask them for advice on where to fish. Any place worth their salt will give you some helpful advice when you buy bait and tackle from them.

I don't fish Snowbank for anything but lakers, so can't help you there. Just a reminder in case you do get into some lakers (you can find them in shallower water now and then in winter) that the laker season doesn't start there until Jan. 15.

We're probably mostly catch and release fishing anyway. Just trying to get on some lunkers or at least bigger fish than we're used to catching down here in Iowa. The only thing I think we'd keep would be good eater size wally's

any advice would help as I've only fished snowbank in the summer. looking at my contour map it looks like there are some good drop offs north/northwest of Harri's island that should be easy to spot on the sonar. ever fish there?

My other question is eelpout, I've never ate them but I've heard they aren't bad? (we dont have them in eastern Iowa where I do most of my fishing).

[Great Outdoors]

Eelpout are very good breaded and fried. You have to skin them, then cut the meat off the ribs. Then cut the meat off each side of the tail. It has a slightly different color than the rib meat but it all tastes the same.

Keep in mind that you cannot intentionally try to catch lakers until the season is open, even though you will release them.

[crabshack]

Eelpout are very good breaded and fried. You have to skin them, then cut the meat off the ribs. Then cut the meat off each side of the tail. It has a slightly different color than the rib meat but it all tastes the same.

Keep in mind that you cannot intentionally try to catch lakers until the season is open, even though you will release them.

I'm aware of the trout regs. like I said, we're mainly looking for wally's, pike, and I'd like to try some pout (sounds a lot like catfish to me the way you're describing cleaning em)

Ciscos are the way to go as far as live bait I'm assuming? Is there a good bait dealer in ELy where a guy could pick up some frozen ones and maybe some tips for out on the lake?

[Finns]

Welcome to the site! Great Outdoors has a bait shop just east (same parking lot) of Mike's Liqour. There are a couple of others in town also.

[finnbay]

Eyes can be difficult to catch in Snowbank any time of the year. Northerns, on the other hand can be a lot of fun. If you head to the right of the public access and go to the southeast corner of the lake, Pike Bay can be dynamite for northerns. Once you get into the bay, it is relatively shallow with a dark bottom and a few rockpiles and weedbeds. I have my spots, but with a little re-con you can find plenty of places that will hold big pike.

There is a reason they call 'pout poor man's lobster. Great tasting and firm, white meat. I like to batter mine and cook it in a deep fryer. My kids used to call this "the good fish"!

[Steve Foss]

I eat pout by taking off the backstraps just like you do with deer. Then they get boiled while the butter is melting in a different pot. Then they get dipped in butter and eaten. I've eaten a lot of bullheads, channel cats and blue cats, and pout are not much like them at all. Cats tend to be pretty heavy, with some oil in them. Bullheads on the other hand are whiter and flaky and lighter. Pout are freshwater cod, and don't look/feel/taste at all like cats.

Now, ahem. I gott say it. I LOVE my lake trout on the table. Laker and pike are the best around. But fresh boiled pout dipped in butter is dynaMITE!

You won't be fishing with live ciscos, BTW. No one sells them live.

Oh, and if you take finnbay's advice about fishing pike (and you should, since he's been doing it since Kennedy was president), stay later and fish the same places for 'eyes. Just sayin.

Whether it's pike or 'eyes and you're using tip-ups, DO NOT set them so far away that you have to run over to them. Stomping all over the ice gets lots of fish to drop baits. When I use tip-ups, they are close enough so I can amble over with the silent stealth shuffle.

[crabshack]

thanks for the help guys, it is appreciated!

and it sounds like I was misinformed on the pouts. will definetely give them a try

as I've never fished them (pouts), any advice?

[Steve Foss]

as I've never fished them (pouts), any advice?

Chunk of meat on the bottom or a foot off the bottom at or after nightfall in deep water. Tip-ups and rattle reels work well for this.

[Great Outdoors]

Stevo,

You, silent stealth shuffle?

I have got to see that

[Steve Foss]

Stevo,

You, silent stealth shuffle?

I have got to see that

You may see it, but you'll never hear it.

[Great Outdoors]

Yeah, I'd have more trouble hearing an elephant walking on bubble wrap!!

And if you try to say you walk just like a Cat, please make it clear if that's a house cat or a D-10

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[crabshack]

pike bay = pickeral bay?

[finnbay]

Pickeral Bay. I'm sorry. A friend of mine has a cabin near Hotaling's Resort and we call it Pike Bay.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Spoons and hair jigs baited with a shiner or chub fished close to the bottom or less then 3' off the bottom will also get a lot of pout. Especially close to dark!

Pout are actually a very aggressive feeder when they are in the right mood!

Great eating any way that you cook them!

Cliff

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Stevo,

You, silent stealth shuffle?

I have got to see that

Steve's silent shuffle is about as stealthy as mine! More like a bull in a china shop!

Cliff

[crabshack]

in looking through the pike forum there seems to be some debate between suckers, shiners, dead bait, and I even saw sardines. what (in your own opinions) is gonna serve me best? I'm not really worried about the cost, for a guy that is used to catching crappie's and gills on farm ponds down here in Iowa it's well worth the extra couple bucks to give my self the best chance at landing some nice fish.

the majority of my pike fishing has been in rivers, since obviously we are at a shortage of lakes down here. I've used tip ups for wally's plenty, but these are in lakes I know fairly well and never really had to scout becuase I grew up fishing them and learned from the old timers out there. plus I've never fished water that has 80' drop offs enough to know where to start. I'm not asking for your honey hole, I'm just looking for some ponters here. is trial and error off points, slopes, and rock piles at different depths gonna be my best bet, or am I way off base here?

sorry for the laundry list of questions, just trying to recon the best I can!

[Cliff Wagenbach]

crabshack,

The spots that you mentioned are all great spots for walleyes, pike, and Trout. Also try the tops of any reefs that top out at around 25 feet or more that are in deep water or close to it.

Cliff

[Steve Foss]

For me regarding winter pike, deadbait such as whole cisco and smelt has outfished live bait 4:1. A lot less hassle using it, too.

[crabshack]

For me regarding winter pike, deadbait such as whole cisco and smelt has outfished live bait 4:1. A lot less hassle using it, too.

wow. that is not what I would expect!

I will try both for sure.