Derek,
Many of the fishable lakes in the region are tannic stained (tea color) while normally, uv patterned jigging raps and spoons would be the ticket, this year a more natural pattern has been sealing the deal. Switching colors, size, and action will help you stay on top of the ever changing moods the walleye have been expressing lately. The most recent cold front kept fish in the smaller lakes in a sluggish temperament, with this slight warm up it will be fun to see how hungry they are. Ice quality varies drastically from lake to lake and the 5″ of snow we received last week has effected some lakes negatively. Most of the area lakes are between 2-7″ of ice and sometimes even on the same lake, so caution is advised. If you’re planning on keeping fish, take the acreage of the lake into consideration. Many of the smaller lakes are highly sensitive to fishing pressure and can be significantly impacted by liberal harvest, so keeping catch and release, or conservative harvest in mind can prevent negative impacts to these lakes. There is a page on this forums for Ely where I have been providing ice updates and will continue to do so as often as I can through this season. To find this page click on “forums” then “Minnesota Lakes and Rivers” and then scroll down to “Ely Area Lakes” feel free to message me with any questions as well.
Ben
