Quadga Lake near Ely: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  The Lake County end of Minnesota holds Quadga Lake. Pine and birch runs right down to the water. About 249 acres, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. Some 3.4 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. It is among the larger waters listed here for Lake County. Head to Ely, 21 miles away, for anything you forgot. The big place round here is Thunder Bay, 108 miles distant. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Quadga Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Across Lake County, recorded fish include white sucker, yellow perch, northern pike and rainbow trout. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Read Quadga Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 64°F and January about 4°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. The season between ice runs from about late April to late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Quadga Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There are toilets half a mile off. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Campfire Lake, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Quadga Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.