Well after a couple of weeks of no fishing report, we are back. Our hot weather has, for the most part, stuck with us all through July. Finally though, the temps have cooled slightly; when I woke up on Wednesday morning it was only 45 degrees!
They have not been feeling nearly the fishing pressure they normally would during a typical July in Ely, so they are hungry. The last few days, the fishermen have really been coming back and talking with them, the walleye bite has been great.
The common theme we hear is walleyes are holding on 8-12 feet of water on sandy or weedy flats. On some lakes, like Basswood, minnows are the go-to. On others like Burntside, Shagawa and Birch, leeches and crawlers are preferred. Troll a leech or crawler tipped spinner over the flats or fish it on a jig or under a bobber. If they seem to want a minnow presentation on the lake you’re fishing, set your bobber stop for 10 feet and have at it.
Northern pike want pike suckers, if you can find them. The pike are generally cruising weedy bays and relatively shallow, 5-10 feet. Top water crank baits have been doing well, buzz-baits, Whopper Ploppers and Rapala Claptails. Of course, classic Daredevil Spoons, Red Eye Wigglers or Mepps Spinner will never let you down.
Smallmouth bass are over rocker flats and boulders in about 10 feet of water. Soft plastics, swimbaits and fathead minnows are working very well. Look for the rocky flats at the edge of weed lines for your best shot at success. Largemouth bass as hanging in the shallow, weedy flats, three to eight feet of water. Top water tactics are most effective followed by soft plastic presentations like Whacky and Ned Rigs.
Lake trout are deep. If you’ve got lead core line or down riggers, troll a large Laker Taker Spoon, Dr. Spoon or Little Cleo at about 60 feet. You can jig those same spoons or a large buck tail jig. Stream trout in Tofte, for the most part, are going to running deep as well, about 20 or so feet. Troll small Salmo’s, Little Cleo’s, small Rapala’s or Mepps Spinners. You can also fish a night crawler under a slip bobber or floated off the bottom. On Miners, troll the above lures or fish the night crawler under a slip bobber set about 15 feet.
