Gun Lake near Ely: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Gun Lake falls in Saint Louis County, part of Minnesota. Country round the bank runs to mixed forest. It measures some 363 acres, and wind has room to build across it. With 5.8 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Size puts it in the front rank of our Saint Louis County list. For supplies, Ely is 15 miles out. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 120 miles distant. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Gun Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. 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, white sucker and rainbow trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The shape of Gun Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 65°F, with January the cold end at about 3°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly late November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Gun Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A campsite is mapped about half a mile away, which makes an early start easier. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Fairy Lake at 0.9 miles is the sensible second choice. What applies at Gun Lake may have changed since it was mapped.