Ely

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Ely Lake was conducted on August 25th-August 28th, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing, mini-fyke nets, and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 14 sampling stations. Similarly, a 1/8" mesh mini-fyke net was used to sample 14 stations. Finally, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 10 stations, but four stations were not seined due to steep drop-offs and heavy woody debris. Nearshore sampling captured 19 species of fish. The nearshore data along with gill net and standard trap net data will be used to develop fish community models for Northeast Minnesota lakes, which will be used to measure lake health. These models may function similarly to fish IBI models developed for lakes across much of the rest of the state. For additional information, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. You can help protect the fish community in Ely Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.

Ely Lake is a 723-acre lake located two miles southeast of Eveleth. There is a public access with a concrete plank boat ramp located near the northeast corner of the lake off Cedar Island Drive (CR629). Ely Lake is up to 70 feet deep and the bottom is a mixture of rock and soft-bottom areas with abundant aquatic vegetation. Plus the lake has abundant bottom structure including islands, points, and humps. Boaters should use caution while navigating the lake, especially in the area around the islands in the north basin, as there are several unmarked rocky areas that are shallow enough to damage watercraft, especially during periods of low water levels. Ely Lake was surveyed with standard gill nets and trap nets on August 14, 2023, the survey lasted 4 days, and the crew also collected water temperature and oxygen data. Ely Lake was thermally stratified, with water temperatures of 71 F at the surface and 42 F near the bottom. Adequate oxygen levels for warmwater fish species were retained to a depth of at least 45 feet. Ely Lake has extremely clear water with visibility around 22 feet. Walleye catches in the survey gill nets were about average for the lake, at 5.6 fish/gill net. The walleye averaged 18.4 inches in length, and 94% of the fish sampled were over 14.0 inches. The survey trapnets also caught seven walleye. These fish averaged 19.4 inches in length, and the largest individual was 27 inches. Overall, walleye ages ranged from 2 to 15, with most of the fish attributed to stocked year classes. The lake is currently stocked with fingerlings in odd years. Bluegill catches in the trap nets were lower than the historical average for the lake, only at 9.5 fish/trap net. However, bluegill were also sampled in gill nets at a rate of 20.1 fish/net, which could indicate that bluegill anglers might have better success targeting fish in slightly deeper water during the summer months. Overall, bluegills averaged 6.1 inches, with roughly 30% of the fish 7 inches or larger. The largest bluegill sampled was 8.4 inches in length, and bluegill ages ranged from 3 to 11. Black crappie were sampled at a rate of 2.5 fish/trap net, which was slightly lower than the historical average for the lake. As was the case for bluegill, a fair number of black crappie were also sampled in gill nets. The gill net catch rate was 2.9 fish/net, which was about average for Ely Lake. Black crappie averaged 7.6 inches in length in trap nets and 8.9 inches in gill nets. The largest black crappie sampled was 11.7 inches, and ages ranged from 3 to 11. Ely Lake is one of several lakes in the Tower area that provide the opportunity to catch large northern pike. The largest pike sampled in 2023 was 41.4 inches, which was the largest ever sampled from the lake. Additionally, over 25% of the northern pike sampled were over 30 inches in length. Northern pike were sampled at a rate of 3.0 fish/gill net, which was higher than average for Ely Lake. The average length of northern pike sampled in 2023 was 27.6 inches, which was about an inch larger than the historical average for the lake. Northern pike were not sampled in trap nets during this survey, which is not uncommon for Ely Lake. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass were sampled in nets in 2023. Largemouth bass averaged 10.6 inches and smallmouth bass averaged 13.0 inches in length, and the largest individuals of both species were roughly 15 inches. That said, nets are not typically very good at sampling bass populations in most lakes. Targeted sampling of the bass populations using electrofishing was conducted during the last survey in 2017. Results from that sampling indicated largemouth bass were more abundant than smallmouth bass and approximately 33% of both species were 12 inches or larger. Additional species sampled in 2023 included golden shiner, hybrid sunfish, rock bass, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and yellow perch. Zebra mussels are an aquatic invasive species that are present in Ely Lake. It is important for anglers and boaters to follow regulations when moving between lakes because these species can survive in or on boats, trailers, and equipment for some time. Be sure to drain all water from bait containers, live wells, bilge, and watercraft, dispose of any unused bait, and carefully inspect and remove any plants or animals attached to the watercraft, trailer, anchor, or other equipment before leaving the lake.

Ely Lake is located approximately 2 miles SE of the city of Eveleth. This popular lake is highly developed with homes and cabins. There is a small seaplane base and two public swimming beaches also located there. Water clarity is good and large amounts of aquatic vegetation can be found throughout the lake. There is a concrete planked boat ramp and dock located near the NE end of the lake off Cedar Island Drive (CR629) for public access. The parking space is somewhat limited near the ramp. Several private accesses are also present. Thirteen species of fish were sampled during the 2017 survey on Ely Lake. Gill nets, trap nets and night electrofishing were all used to sample the fish community. Small bluegill were common in the gill net catch (34%) and abundant in the trap net catch (57%). Other panfish species including hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, green sunfish and black crappie were also sampled in good numbers. Largemouth bass outnumbered smallmouth bass in the 2017 sample. Walleye (16%) contributed to the gill net catch and several were sampled in the trap nets. Yellow perch are present in average amounts and some good sized pike were again sampled during the 2017 survey. Bluegill numbers in 2017 (72.1/trap net) were much higher than the long term average (31.6/trap net) on Ely Lake and greatly above average (7.9/trap net) compared to other similar lakes in the area. The average bluegill sampled was 5.6 inches long and about 6 years old. Approximately 66% of the bluegill sampled with the trap nets were under 6 inches with a maximum size recorded of 8.0 inches. Bluegill sampled with the gill nets had a similar size structure. Approximately 7% of the hybrid sunfish sampled in the trap nets were 8 inches or larger. Several pumpkinseeds were also in this size range. Largemouth bass (92%) and smallmouth bass (8%) were sampled during the night electrofishing effort. The average largemouth sampled was 10.9 inches which is similar to the historic average of 10.6 inches. The biggest largemouth sampled was 18.5 inches. Approximately 33% of the largemouth sampled were 12 inches or larger. The average smallmouth sampled was 9.8 inches which is slightly larger than the historic average (8.4 inches). The largest smallmouth sampled was 16.8 inches long. Approximately 32% of the smallmouth sampled were 12 inches or larger. Largemouth bass were also sampled from the gill nets and trap nets in numbers above average. Walleye numbers in 2017 (6.2/gill net) were similar to the historic average (6.1/gill net) on Ely Lake and slightly above average (5.0/gill net) when compared to other similar area lakes with walleye. The average walleye sampled was 15.5 inches and about 4 years old. Approximately 34% of the walleye sampled were 15 inches or larger up to a maximum of nearly 29 inches. Walleye fingerlings are currently being stocked during even-numbered years and in 2017 approximately 62% of the walleye aged came from years where stocking occurred. Northern pike numbers in 2017 (1.1/gill net) were similar to the historic average (1.3/gill net) and below average (3.2/gill net) compared to other similar area lakes with pike. The average pike sampled was 26.8 inches which is similar to the historic average length of 26.3 inches. The largest pike sampled in 2017 was 35.2 inches long and sampled with a trap net.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Hybrid Sunfish, and Walleye in Ely. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Ely has a maximum depth of 70 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

Yes — Ely has confirmed zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.