Fishing The Boundary Waters of Ely
Awesome trip….Tons of smallmouth bass, some walleye and an occasional pike. One of the best fishing trips we’ve ever been on.
I have to admit that I started to miss my regular fishing boat after 4 or 5 days of paddling. I will definitely come here again, but just for a few days then I’m going to head over to Rainy Lake or Lake of the Woods where I can fire up the outboard and cover some water.
Boundary Waters Resources:
- Ely, Minnesota Bait Shops
- Ely, Minnesota Canoe Outfitters
- Ely, Minnesota Fishing Guides
- Ely, Minnesota Lodging
- Ely, Minnesota Lake Maps
Topwater Smallmouth Bass Fishing: BWCA
Ely, Minnesota is the place to go for some excellent smallmouth bass fishin. Lots of quality 2 pounders here with some real big fish also. Topwater was the key for us. Shallow water worked, but we even caught bass on the surface in deeper water. Just make sure to pause your lure longer in the deeper water so the fish have time to find your lure.
Some good lures: zara spook, torpedo, floating rapala
Boundary Waters Resources:
- Ely, Minnesota Bait Shops
- Ely, Minnesota Canoe Outfitters
- Ely, Minnesota Fishing Guides
- Ely, Minnesota Lodging
- Ely, Minnesota Lake Maps
Summer Fishing Trip to Ely, Minnesota
Ely is a great place to fish. We targeted smallmouth bass all week, but we did catch some pike and walleye also. Tubes worked great for the bass. All colors worked well, but we used mostly brown tubes. Lindy-rigged soft plastic minnows with a curly tail also caught a lot of fish using a slow troll (obviously trolling with a canoe). Sometimes, the faster troll would get us some pike and walleye, but it would get tiring to paddle that fast, so the slow troll was the trick for me and the smallmouth bass would slam the lure.
Great place…great trip. Everyone who likes to canoe should visit here at least once.
Boundary Waters Resources:
- Ely, Minnesota Bait Shops
- Ely, Minnesota Canoe Outfitters
- Ely, Minnesota Fishing Guides
- Ely, Minnesota Lodging
- Ely, Minnesota Lake Maps
Early Summer BWCA Fishing
I fish the Boundary Waters every year early in the summer when the fish are still shallow. I catch nice smallmouth bass, northern pike and walleye casting a variety of crankbaits along the shorelines. Rattletraps, rapala and mann’s crankbaits all work well. White spinnerbaits also work really well slow rolled along the shorelines and an occasional walleye will hit the spinnerbait as well.
Boundary Waters Resources:
- Ely, Minnesota Bait Shops
- Ely, Minnesota Canoe Outfitters
- Ely, Minnesota Fishing Guides
- Ely, Minnesota Lodging
- Ely, Minnesota Lake Maps
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Late Spring/Early Summer Smallmouth Bass
The late spring is a great time to be in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. You can expect high daytime temperatures to be in the 65 to 68 degree range at the end of May and getting into the 70s consistently in early June.
Smallmouth bass fishing can be very good on a variety of lures such as 4 inch finesse worms, hair jigs, tubes, small crankbaits, in-line spinners and small spinnerbaits. Minnows fished on a bobber or slow-trolled (with a canoe) using a lindy rig will also produce quality fish.
The BWCA is an awesome place and it’s probably one of the best smallmouth bass destinations in the world.
Boundary Waters Resources:
- Ely, Minnesota Bait Shops
- Ely, Minnesota Canoe Outfitters
- Ely, Minnesota Fishing Guides
- Ely, Minnesota Lodging
- Ely, Minnesota Lake Maps
Crane Lake - A Great Place For a Fishing Trip
I’ve visited Crane Lake numerous times. It’s a great area. Gorgeous scenery, excellent fishing for smallmouth bass. You can also catch walleye and pike, but it’s definitely more of a bass lake.
Many people that visit this area will fish multiple lakes that are connected to Crane Lake such as Sand Point lake, Namakan Lake, Lake Kabetogama, Little Vermilion Lake, Loon Lake and Lac La Croix.
Don’t forget about the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) and the Quetico Provincial Park of Ontario. These areas have thousands of lakes that are dedicated to the canoe enthusiast. Trips can be arranged with many different outfitters and the fishing can be amazing.
