Ely Minnesota Fishing Report

Posted July 18, 2021

Posted July 3, 2021

Awesome catch(es) by the Cieplik family this past week

Posted June 25, 2021

Schreiber group last week. Lots of fish and fun.

Posted June 11, 2021

Posted June 11, 2021

Posted August 23, 2020

Sandy F caught the awesome 34″ Northern off the dock last night. Great job.  

Posted July 30, 2020

Tom A caught this awesome 35″ Northern today. Good job. Caught and released for another day.

Posted July 27, 2020

Brad N caught this 28.5 inch one today

Posted June 25, 2020

Great walleye caught by Steve this week. 6/20/2020.  

Posted June 25, 2020

Here are some really nice fish that Jane, Jenna and Pat caught this week. They have been guests at WIBR since 1995, the first year we owned the resort. Oh third generation Brody too!  

Posted June 22, 2020

Dustin s caught this awesome 15″ crappie on 6/20/20. Great Job.        

Posted June 18, 2020

Glenn caught this walleye yesterday, one day after his birthday. Having great success on the White Iron Chain.  

Posted June 18, 2020

All caught this week on White Iron.  

Posted June 17, 2020

These were caught by Mark and his buddy this past week. They caught these and a bunch more.  

Posted June 16, 2020

Carol and Glenn caught and released the really nice 35 and 351/2 inch northerns. Great job.  

Posted June 3, 2020

Posted June 2, 2020

Nice ones again from Phil and Gary on White Iron Lake, 5/31/2020.  

Posted June 1, 2020

My buddy Phil found this nice stringer on White Iron Lake yesterday. Great Job.

Posted May 25, 2020

Jace caught the 18″ trout on Miners lake last night.

Posted May 14, 2020

Posted January 14, 2018

John caught this nice laker on Burntside at about 9 am on opening morning. Looks to be about an 8 pounder.

Posted December 11, 2017

Lots of shacks are out and our is on Shagawa to start. This is the first one caught by Tim H.  Hopefully more and bigger ones to come. 

Posted April 15, 2017

The ice went out on Friday sometime. The picture is from this morning 4/15/17.  Click read more to see it.

Posted April 14, 2017

Click the read more below fore a web cam look from 7 am this morning. You can barely see the ice way out there. A bit of wind today will do it for sure. 4/14/17

Posted April 13, 2017

Just a little wind and I think all of White Iron will be out. Won’t be today but maybe tomorrow. Click the more button for a picture.

Posted April 11, 2017

White Iron is still mostly ice covered. It is totally not safe for man or animals.  Depending on the wind it should go out within the week. Stay posted. Click read more for a picture taken 4/11/17

Posted March 21, 2017

The good  ice has hung on much longer than anticipated. There is  alot of folks still venturing out on most area lakes for crappies and some trout.  The next week or so will start some deterioration so be careful out there. I have not posted any pictures lately so here are a few.

Posted January 23, 2017

Nothing like catching a 36 inch pike when you are crappie fishing. Cory E and his kids did that only about an hour ago.  The word is the crappies must think it is spring time as the are snapping. Good job Brady and Kirstin.

Posted January 19, 2017

Ice fishing has been very active. Trout season opened last weekend. There were a lot of folks out and there were good numbers caught.  The walleye fishing on Shagawa Lake must still be good as there as many if not more shacks out there as compared to December.  The later ice must be pushing the […]

Posted January 8, 2017

Corey was ice the ice shack on Shagawa this morning. Sent this awesome picture of breakfast. Fresh walleye. Yum. The bite has been slow but consistent. Mostly walleyes, some huge perch and a few decent northern. Trout starts next weekend, 1/14.

Posted January 1, 2017

Most all area lakes are ok to fish, some are fine to drive light vehicles. Burtnside Lake may still be to thin for other than walking, maybe snowmobiles.  Inland lake trout opens on the 14th so hopefully Burntside will lock up enough to pull some shacks out by then. We have had some walleye success […]

Posted December 1, 2016

2017 Lottery and Go-Live Schedule . The BWCAW Lottery application period will be from Dec. 14, 2016 at 9 am through Jan. 11, 2017 at 9 pm CT. Entry points include: both paddle and motor overnight for #24 Fall L and #25 Moose L; day use motor for “D” Fall Lake and Beyond, “F” Moose Newfound-Sucker […]

Posted January 21, 2016

BWCAW permit reservations for all entry points can be made on a first-come, first-served basis beginning January 27, 2016, 9 a.m. Central Time. Motor permits that were not awarded through the lottery will be available along with South Farm Motor permits and all canoe over night permits. I apologize to all who applied for permits […]

Posted January 5, 2016

Taylor caught this awesome 23 inch walleye this afternoon on Shagawa Lake. We also caught several other small walleye, a huge perch and a northern that we also kept.

Posted December 16, 2015

The BWCAW 2016 lottery application period began December 16, 2015 and will run through January 12, 2016, 9:00 p.m. Central Time. The lottery is for the following entry points and dates: Fall Lake entry points D (Fall Lake and beyond) and 24 (Fall Lake); Moose Lake entry points F (Moose-Newfound-Sucker), G (Moose-Prairie-Basswood) and 25 (Moose […]

Posted December 10, 2015

DNR NEWS – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    DNR reminder: Avoid early ice, wear life jackets on cold water With daytime temperatures still climbing above freezing even in the northern parts of the state, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding outdoor enthusiasts to stay clear of early ice and use extreme caution when recreating […]

Posted December 4, 2015

Most area lakes are currently NOT safe for foot or vehicle traffic. Much higher than normal temps have not allowed lakes to make ice either during the day or night. The temps are forecasted to be well above normal for the next 10 days. I have seen folks on a couple of smaller shallow lakes. […]

Posted July 28, 2015

Braiden caught this northern today while fishing with Grandpa Sam on White Iron.

Posted July 27, 2015

I guess the Northern don’t care that it is 85 and sunny. This one was caught today, 7/27, at 1PM.

Posted July 9, 2015

Posted June 16, 2015

Posted June 16, 2015

Posted June 2, 2015

Posted June 2, 2015

Opener arrived with mild weather and no ice on the lake. The fishing was good but nothing like the prior two years when boats were being used as ice breakers and the walleyes were pre spawn. There were a good number of slot walleyes caught and a few just over the slot in the 27 […]

Posted May 11, 2015

Posted February 3, 2015

Ice fishing in January was highlighted by the trout opener the middle of the month. Unfortunately the reports across the area for that weekend were a bit lack luster.  John was out on both Tofte and Miners Lake with only minimal success. John reported that the number of people fishing on Tofte was unbelievable. Because […]

Posted December 11, 2014

 BWCAW permit lottery begins 12/16/14 if you are interested in motorized Bwca permits for the 2015 season. Call us if you have questions. Or go to  http://www.recreation.gov/unifSearchResults .   Permits do sell out for certain entry points for much of the season.

Posted December 4, 2014

There are many reports of great walleye fishing in the area.  Mostly on Shagawa in the usual spots for early season. Ice depth is ranging from 5 or 6 inches to as much as 11 in bays that froze first. So much caution should be taken especially with heavier vehicles and near flowage areas.  

Posted October 15, 2014

Dave Johnson caught this 46 inch Northern this past weekend. It is one of the biggest we have seen in quite a while. Nice job Dave.

Posted July 11, 2014

Here is a nice northern caught by Mickey G. yesterday 7/10.  We also caught two nice crappies and a keeper walleye.

Posted June 16, 2014

Posted June 15, 2014

Grandpa David and grandson  Parker got into some nice crappies and a few walleye too this past week. Great job.

Posted June 6, 2014

Check out the picture of the nice 28″ walleye Sharon caught and released this past week. Greta job Sharon.

Posted May 27, 2014

Nancy L. caught and released  this awesome Northern, 45 inches long. It was too big for her to lift so her husband Mike had to hold it while she took the picture. Great job.

Posted May 24, 2014

Nice one caught yesterday. Great job Amber.

Posted May 20, 2014

Here are pictures from today. The good news the level is starting to drop. Hopefully back to near normal soon. The beach kind of looks like Gilligan’s Island. LOL.

Posted May 17, 2014

Chad B. caught these today. A 15 inch crappie and a 27 inch walleye. Good job.

Posted May 16, 2014

Posted May 12, 2014

The opening two days were pretty good for everyone here at WIBR. Lots of slot fish and great weather. The water level is up and still rising a bit but hopefully it will at least stabilize soon. The pictures below are from the Krenz group. Long time opening weekend guests and friends.

Posted May 11, 2014

It was a beautiful day. Warm and sunny with no wind.  The fishing was decent too. Most groups did at least OK with some doing very good. The water level is still high and rising a bit.   . 

Posted May 10, 2014

We could not quite get out from here this morning. It does look clear from the North landing off Pine Road. I am thinking it should move out or melt enough today to take off from our landing. Hopefully  will have some nice walleye pictures to post later today.

Posted May 9, 2014

The ice at  the South end of White Iron is all gone. The balance of the lake can’t be far behind. The fog is making it difficult to see how much ice is really gone on our end of the lake. Maybe this afternoon we can get a better look.

Posted May 8, 2014

It looks very  good that the south access boat landing and open water to the river and many fishing areas  well past Ring Rock will be available on Saturday for fishing opener.  We were there this morning and the only ice was some that blew in because of the East winds.  The wind direction is […]

Posted May 6, 2014

I was at the south landing this morning. There is quite a bit of open water and the ice is floating and patchy. With some wind I think it will be no problem fishing the river at opener.  The open water has moved well past Ring Rock so again the right wind should take the […]

Posted May 3, 2014

I was just at the South landing on White Iron. There is open water at and through Ring Rock Narrows. Through by binoculars I could see the shimmer of open water all the way to Bear Grease Island and around the island. There is also open water to the south end which I’m sure is […]

Posted May 2, 2014

The ice continues to pull away from shore in many places and the color seems to get grayer each day.  As you can see from the picture the ice to the South of Silver Rapids Bridge has receded another 50 yards or so. In talking to Minnesota Power who control the water flow at Birch […]

Posted April 29, 2014

These pictures were from Silver Rapids Bridge a couple of days ago. Lots of open water to the north (down stream). Actually today  there is a bit more open water to the south of the bridge. . 

Posted April 20, 2014

Currently White Iron is fully covered in ice.  It is not great ice meaning there are multiple layers of frozen snow, slush and ice. I would assume that there is only 12 to 14 inches of “good” ice. With that in mind it will melt fast as the temps rise over the next few days. […]

Posted November 22, 2013

Some smaller area lake have been iced over for about 10 days. Most are not safe for walk traffic. Cold temps last night and this weekend will change that and we will start to see folks out for those early ice walleyes.

Posted October 7, 2013

We have had a few fishermen and women up and they are doing good on walleye and northern. Still time for that last trip up before the water hardens up.

Posted August 21, 2013

Sharon from Ottawa caught this nice stringer of crappies and walleye today on White Iron.  

Posted August 19, 2013

Nice 24 inch walleye caught by Stan O from Ottawa Il on White Iron Lake.  

Posted August 19, 2013

These two small mouth were caught on one of John’s recent guided trips. Mickey caught one over 5 pounds and Rick’s was over three.

Posted August 15, 2013

This nice walleye was caught and released today. It was caught by Bob from Iowa. Good job.

Posted August 7, 2013

Todd, Missy and family have had a great time this week fishing and playing. Nice fish and thanks for staying at WIBR.

Posted August 6, 2013

Here are some nice pictures of fish caught this week so far.

Posted August 6, 2013

Fish caught this week.

Posted August 5, 2013

Nice 25 inch White Iron Walleye caught by Jenna M from Coon Rapids

Posted July 15, 2013

Terry Wolff caught this nice 29″ walleye this morning just off our island. Great job.

Posted June 12, 2013

Josh from Iowa caught this once in a life time 32 inch walleye last week on White Iron. Great job.

Posted June 5, 2013

Check out this awesome 41 inch northern that was caught yesterday on White Iron. Great job.  

Posted June 3, 2013

Bob M from Canton Illinois caught this awesome smallmouth last week on our secret bass lake. He and his grandson Bowen caught 40 plus smallmouth and many nice northerns on their day trip. All caught and released for the next folks to have a chance at.

Posted May 30, 2013

Bob M from Canton Illinois caught and released this very nice 28″ walleye today. Great job and thanks for practicing catch and release.

Posted May 28, 2013

Bowen from Canton Illinois caught this nice 24 inch walleye and released it today on White Iron. Nice job.

Posted May 28, 2013

Miranda caught this Northern right off the dock yesterday. Nice fish.

Posted May 22, 2013

We have been in a pretty cruddy weather pattern for a few days. Lots of rain and cool temps. That has slowed the fishing slightly. The sun is to return tomorrow and and a few days of warmer temps should rebound the fishing. The lake level has dropped slightly but we still have water to […]

Posted May 18, 2013

The ice has been out for a few days now. The water level is normal to a bit low. The forecast is calling for rain next week so that should keep the flow decent at the ends of the lake. Docks are in and ready for your boats.

Posted May 13, 2013

A change in wind directions the next two days and much warmer temps starting tomorrow should take out the balance of the ice. We think. Docks in tomorrow if the ice cooperates. The web cam shows mostly open water but there is a big ice flow off to the south southeast. Guys fishing the river […]

Posted May 12, 2013

Here’s one from the Krenzel group. About 23 INCHER.

Posted May 12, 2013

Major ice movement yesterday. The Northwest wind stacked up ice on the East shorelines all day. Our bay’s ice has pulled away significantly from the shore. At the moment still too much ice floating around to put in the docks. Hopefully by Tuesday that will be possible. The guys that are here did catch a […]

Posted May 10, 2013

Very cool this morning, only about 24 degrees. The good news is that it is 24 above zero not below. The ice is continuing to move away from the shoreline. I took a boat out from the landing last night and tried to break ice. I did not get far until I found at least […]

Posted May 8, 2013

Beautiful Weather yesterday and most of today. The ice is moving away from the shoreline but most of that is due to the water level rising. The report is that the flow into the lake has stabilized and we should not be in danger of very high water levels. There is still a lot of […]

Posted May 8, 2013

The Forest Service flew a west patrol yesterday from Jackfish west and south to Birch and Vermilion Lakes. Everything was still frozen. Many lakes were still frozen right to the shoreline. Fall Lake had the most open water around the edges but was still 80% ice covered. Birch, Vermilion, Burntside, western Basswood including Pipestone and […]

Posted May 6, 2013

Sun, Sun, Sun!!! The lake is a bit grey this morning. Many times when it looks like this it is only a good wind away from going out. But I know there is still some strong ice out there. There is some break away from the shoreline. Some of that is due to the lake […]

Posted May 4, 2013

It’s not looking great for the home team. Unless your team is a hockey team looking for ice to skate on. We have one more day today and evening of cold weather and then warmer days do arrive. There probably has been no ice melt the last few days due to cool temps and very […]

Posted April 26, 2013

The 5 day forecast is temps in the 60’s and some sun. This should get rid of most of the snow. Next week I will make a couple of trips to the south end of the lake to check the ice there. It will be the first place to break free. Sun, rain and wind […]

Posted April 20, 2013

We are just about dug out of at least 14 inches of snow from two days ago. It was so close to being the rain we need to knock the ice out. There is a warmer forecast so we are still positive about opener. Next week will tell us a lot.

Posted April 11, 2013

Well, we are in no danger of the ice going out anytime soon. Not much sun and cooler than normal temps are causing a very slow melt of ice and snow. Actually this is much closer to a normal winter compared to last year with it’s record early ice out and temps. Keep checking the […]

Posted March 3, 2013

There is still great ice on all area lakes. The walleye fishing has come and gone along with the trout. Now comes the time for that late season crappie fishing. Hopefully we don’t have a super early ice out that cuts that season short like the early March ice out of 2012.