Nels Lake near Ely: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Look for Nels Lake in Saint Louis County, Minnesota. It sits at 1,401 feet above sea level. The water covers some 173 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline comes to about 2.0 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Ely is the closest town at 8.5 miles. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 124 miles distant. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Nels Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish documented in Saint Louis County include yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker and rainbow trout. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Nels Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 65°F, with January the cold end at about 2°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to mid November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Nels Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. The slipway at Nels Lake Public Water Access Site is half a mile away. You will be walking about half a mile from the nearest car park. You can camp 140 yards off, which suits an early start. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. The nearest alternative is Regenbogen Lake, 0.9 miles out. Treat Nels Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.