At times, the incredible flashes of northern lights, will flare with streaks of white, pink or green, arching in ribbons across the sky or dancing like curtains of colors. Morning fishing offers a completely different spectacle. Great blue herons stalk the shallows in the morning mists while loons, decked out in their formal black and white attire, send mournful cries echoing from shore to shore. Here are our most common and most commonly sought fish species in area waters. The most sought after prize in Ely area lakes is the golden sided, glass-eyed walleye.
Nothing can beat a skillet of golden brown fillets sizzling over a campfire.
Many veteran anglers prefer to pursue the walleye at night. There is no question that the big ones - trophy sized 8 to 10 pounders, will swim into the shallows at night to feed. Sandbars, in the currents between lakes or where streams enter quieter waters are all likely spots to hook a lunker with rapalas, rebels and other minnow-like crank baits. This certainly doesn't mean that you can't catch walleyes during the day. Some of the best fishing of the year can be enjoyed in the middle of the day on the typical resort lake, with the bait ranging from minnows and leeches to night crawlers.