Nels

Nels Lake is a 182-acre lake located nine miles northwest of Ely. There is a concrete boat ramp at the end of FR 1881. The lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet and brown bog-stained water. On June 27, 2023, Nels Lake was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 72 F and a bottom temperature of 41 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish throughout the entire water column. Lake substrates along the shoreline are mostly boulder and ledge rock with muck in the shallow bays. This survey targeted walleye with gill nets to evaluate walleye fry stocking, which occurs in even years. The walleye catch rate was 2.7 fish/net, which was slightly above average for Nels Lake. However, sizes were generally small, with lengths ranging from 7.1 to 19.0 inches and averaging only 11.3 inches. The walleye catch was driven by the 2021 year class, which could provide decent angling opportunities in the coming years as those fish reach larger sizes. The northern pike catch rate was 6.5 fish/net, which was the second highest catch rate ever recorded for the lake. Lengths ranged from 14.8 to 23.0 inches and averaged 19.5 inches. Yellow perch were sampled at a rate of 4.7 fish/net and perch averaged just 6.3 inches in length. Other species sampled in 2023 included white sucker, smallmouth bass, bluegill, and black crappie. The lone black crappie was the first ever sampled by DNR staff from Nels Lake

Nels Lake is a 182 acre lake located 9 miles northwest of Ely. The access is via a concrete ramp at the end of FR 1881. The lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet and brown bog-stained water. On July 27, 2020 Nels Lake was thermally stratified with a surface temperature of 75 F and a bottom temperature of 44 F. Oxygen levels were adequate for gamefish to a depth of 16 feet where the temperature was 51 degrees. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly boulder and ledge rock with muck in the bays. This survey was targeted to evaluate walleye stocking so only gill nets were used. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 10.8 fish/net which was below average compared to past surveys on the lake. Yield was 9.0 lbs/net which was also below average. Fish species sampled were yellow perch, white sucker, walleye, northern pike, and bluegill. The 2020 walleye gillnet catch rate was 2.0 fish/net which was normal compared to other similar lakes and just below average for Nels Lake. Lengths ranged from 9 to 21 inches with an average of nearly 17 inches. Fish were aged up to eight years old and the 2018 year class was the strongest. The yellow perch catch rate was 5.5 fish/gill net which was above average compared to other similar lakes and slightly better than normal for Nels Lake. Sizes were relatively small with a range of 5 to nearly 8 inches.

Nels Lake is located approximately 10 miles NW of Ely in the Superior National Forest. There is a concrete boat ramp located off USFS road #1881 on the E side of the Echo Trail (CR116) for public access. There are 3 campsites located around the lake for overnight use. The inlet to Nels Lake is from Hegman Lake and the outlet is to Picket Lake. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline of Nels Lake are ledgerock, boulder, and rubble, interspersed with sand or muck. Water shield and floatingleaf burreed are the most common aquatic plants. Nels is a softwater (unmineralized) lake. The results of the 2016 survey of Nels Lake indicate a fish community that is similar to previous investigations. Fish populations in 2016 were near or below average compared to other similar area lakes and historical data. Walleye numbers in 2016 (2.3/gill net) were lower than the historic average for Nels Lake. The average walleye sampled was 10.6 inches long and about 4 years old. Sixty-nine percent of the walleye were age 1. Walleye fry are stocked during odd numbered years on Nels Lake and in 2016 all walleye were from years that were stocked. The largest walleye sampled was just over 20 inches long. Northern pike numbers in 2016 (2.7/gill net) were slightly above the historical average for this lake. The average pike sampled was 20.3 inches long and the largest pike was 39 inches which was the only pike sampled over 23 inches long. Bluegill abundance in 2016 (5.1/trap net) was identical to the historical average. The average bluegill sampled was 6.9 inches long and the largest bluegill was 9.5 inches. Eleven percent of the bluegill sampled were 8 inches or larger. Largemouth and smallmouth bass were sampled in 2016 on Nels Lake. Electrofishing revealed a bass population of relatively low abundance. The average largemouth sampled was 13.4 inches long and about 6 years old. The largest bass was a largemouth sampled in a trap net and measured 16 inches.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Rock Bass, and Yellow Perch in Nels. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Nels. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Nels has a maximum depth of 30 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Nels is from 2023.

No invasive species are on record for Nels in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.