Ely area fishing is on the rebound! Hot weather and still windless days plagued Fall Lake fisherman for the better of 3 weeks, through the month of August. With the arrival of September came the wind and rain, and now the fishing has picked up!
Walleyes are beginning to bite more aggressively as the water temps have begun to cool. Anglers are finding walleyes in 20 plus feet of water around structure, or in shallower water later in the day/early evening. Night crawlers on a crawler harness is still the presentation of choice, but as the water temps cool, minnows are beginning to make an appearance again.
Big smallmouth bass are also finding their way into angler’s nets. Smallies of the 20” plus range are being caught in deeper holes, often in 8’ plus of water. Live bait such as leeches and crawlers will work for these bronze back monsters, but anglers are having the best luck with artificial baits that replicate the crayfish the fish have been feeding on. Fall Lake and Ella Hall are great places to find these aggressive fish this time of year!
Large pike are beginning to cruse the shallows again. The recent cold front has been enough to move these lengthy pike from their summer homes to shallower waters looking to put the feed on. Live sucker minnows under a large slip bobber is a fun way to catch these pike this time of year, but trolling a large inline spinner or shallow diving crankbait might be the best way to catch these lunkers as we transition into Fall.
Crappie and bluegills are still biting well amongst the weed beds. Anglers fishing for bluegills are still using pieces of crawlers, or wax worms on a hook and sinker to drift over the weed beds. Crappie are also found on the edges of the weed beds, and can be best caught with a minnow on a small jig, under a slip bobber.
As the weather forecast might look grim for this coming holiday weekend, the fishing forecast looks good! Plan on some wind, maybe a little rain, but come ready to catch fish! Wear your life jacket, be safe, and keep your line wet!
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