Bear Lake Fishing near Ely, Minnesota

• Overview

  Bear Lake is a Saint Louis County water, Minnesota side. It stands 1,483 feet above sea level. It measures about 58 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Shoreline comes to about 1.8 miles, small enough to learn in a day. 14 miles away sits Ely, the nearest town. Babbitt is 18 miles and Aurora 27 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Bear Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Saint Louis County list yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker and rainbow trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Take Bear Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 65°F; the cold one sits at 2°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Averages suggest open water from about late April through to roughly mid November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Bear Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Adolf Lake is 1.4 miles off. The position on Bear Lake is worth confirming on the day.