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Angling action picks up in windy weather

Fishing action in the Ely area picked up last week with windy weather and cooler days. Walleyes were being taken in 20 feet of water in many places and as deep as 40 feet in other places. With stocking activities going on right now in many area lakes by the Minnesota DNR, it’s a reminder that many of the walleyes found across the area originated in Lake Vermilion.Joe Geis, the DNR fisheries guy in Tower, explained that walleyes in different geographical areas have different genetics so they are kept apart.“Walleyes in the Hudson Bay drainage are genetically different than the Mississippi River and St. Louis River drainage,” said Geis. “We only use the Pike River strain of walleyes which are in the Hudson Bay drainage. We’re doing that to maintain the genetic integrity of those stocks.”The hatchery at Pike River produces around 100 million walleye eggs each year with 75 million hatching into walleye fry. A good portion are returned to Lake Vermilion and the rest are distributed to area lakes.It’s no surprise to see the top walleyes this week come out of Lake Vermilion. Leading the way with a 6 lb. 9 oz. walleye that measured 27 inches long was Karen Wellander of Soudan who used a minnow as bait and checked the fish in at Vermilion Fuel and Food.Right behind was a 6 lb. 8 oz. walleye caught in Vermilion by John Morin of Tower. He also brought his fish to Vermilion Fuel and Food. Burntside Lake gave up a 5 lb. 6 oz. walleye to Andrew Isle of Ely who used a jig and a leech to catch the 26.5 inch fish. He registered the fish at Skube’s Bait and Tackle. Trolling a rainbow chub did the trick for Bernard Kuzma of Ely as he landed a 4 lb. 8 oz. walleye in Shagawa Lake and checked it in at Voyageur North Outfitters.Bass fishing is starting to pick up as well. Joining the 21-inch club was Nina Haaversen of Ely with a 4 lb. 8 oz smallmouth caught in Shagawa Lake. The catch was registered at Spirit of the Wilderness.Curtis Leral of Tower nabbed a 4 lb. 6 oz. bass using a minnow in Lake Vermilion. He checked the fish in at Vermilion Fuel and Food. Basswood Lake was the spot for Austin Jahnke of Vadnais Heights to land a 4 lb. smallie that hit a shiner for the 11-year-old. He brought the fish into Skube’s Bait and Tackle. Lake trout action was hot and heavy with a massive 16 lb. 4 oz. laker being taken by Mike Pelto of Ely on a cisco out of Burntside Lake and checked in at Voyageur North Outfitters.Terry Gfeller of Ely used a spinner and a minnow to catch a 12 pounder out of Burntside that measured 31 inches long. The fish was registered at Voyageur North.Brian Hoel of Eveleth had the third largest lake trout of the week at 10 lbs. 5 oz., also caught in Burntside and checked in at Skube’s Bait and Tackle. Snowbank Lake was hot as well as guests at Smitty’s on Snowbank brought in some nice lake trout, including two over seven pounds. Top pike of the week was a 12 lb. 2 oz. northern caught by Krista Maki of Ely in Burntside Lake using a jig and a minnow. The 37-inch fish was registered at Great Outdoors Bait and Tackle. Darnell Oja of Tower used a spoon to land a 7 lb. 9 oz. northern in Lake Vermilion and brought the fish to Vermilion Fuel and Food to be registered. We had three nice Catch and Release entries come in as well, including two smallmouth at 20 inches. Nice fish.Mike McKinney of White Bear Lake released a 20-inch smallie caught in White Iron Lake and entered the contest at Skube’s Bait and Tackle. Patrick Eide of Forest Lake released at 20-incher on Basswood Lake, caught on a spinner bait. The release was recorded at Spirit of the Wilderness. Scott Quinn of Mankato did the right thing by releasing a 28-inch walleye caught in Shagawa Lake. He entered the release at Spirit of the Wilderness. We did get a report out of Basswood Lake of a large mayfly hatch that may have an impact on fishing. Ron Harri of Ely reported his son Scott said there were swarms of insects that must have numbered in the millions. He said there were so many that the noise was more than noticeable.Whether or not they were mayflies could be up for debate. Geis and Joe Mix of the DNR think they may have been something else. Mix is the Regional Fisheries Project Coordinator and said what Harri saw and heard may have been chironomidae.“I’m guessing that’s probably what it is,” said Mix. “They look like a fuzzy mosquito but they don’t bite you. It seems early to have a mayfly hatch since we have not had warmer water temperatures yet.” Chironomidae, also known as midges, start out as little worms that live on the bottom of a lake. These are often called “bloodworms” since they change color in the winter.“When the bottom layer of water changes as winter progresses and the oxygen depletes, the worms come to the surface of the mud and their hemoglobin goes to the surface of their skin to get the maximum amount of oxygen and they become red in color,” said Mix. They hatch in the early spring, whereas mayflies don’t usually hatch up here until mid-June. Mayflies or not, the fishing action is definitely heating up on Ely area lakes. Find some time to get out on the water and enjoy all this area has to offer. Good luck!

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