Spring Lake Fishing near Ely, Minnesota

• Overview

  Set in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, this is Spring Lake. Beyond the shoreline you have mixed forest. It measures about 190 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The bank runs about 2.8 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Ely lies 37 miles from the water. Thunder Bay is the closest city, 143 miles away. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Spring Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Public occurrence data for Saint Louis County names yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. At Spring Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 66°F and January at 4°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Open water usually runs from late April until about late November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. That is the shape of the year on Spring Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Lilac Lake at 2.1 miles is the sensible second choice. For Spring Lake in particular, ask before you travel.