Judd Lake near Ely: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Judd Lake falls inside Lake County. The land about it is mixed forest. With some 31 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 1.1 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Ely is the closest place, 18 miles off. For a city, Thunder Bay is 107 miles off. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Judd Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Species logged across Lake County include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike, rainbow trout and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Judd Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 65°F and January near 4°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. The open-water window runs from around late April to about late November in an average year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. The season on Judd Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Ennis Lake at 0.2 miles is the sensible second choice. Treat access at Judd Lake as something to verify.