Ely Area, Arrowhead Outdoors Fishing Report January 7, 2026
Ice Quality Report
Ice conditions continue to improve to as much as 20 inches being reported on Ely area lakes. Recent snow falls are starting to limit travel on ice to plowed roads. Or tracked vehicles.
Ice Fishing Reports
Walleyes fishing has been good until recent days as several fronts came through and shut down the bite. Before the weather change walleyes were biting perch colored jigging spoons and rippin raps in 18 to 22 feet of water. Rock piles on mud flats were the best areas to be fishing but mud flats in general continue to be best. Big walleyes caught over the weekend came with minnows set on rattle reels during overnight hours, in these same areas.
Lake Trout (BWCA) - Anglers reported mixed results over the BWCA lake trout opener. Most anglers reported seeing very few trout and getting even fewer bites. Average size trout was on the small side too. Many anglers reported that lake trout were chasing early in the morning but as the day progressed they were less willing to chase, hugging the bottom. Anglers reported best action was in 40 to 60 feet of water over deep flats near deeper water. Tubes with blades got the most attention for lakers.
Stream Trout (BWCA) - Brook trout anglers reported decent brookie fishing in 5 feet of water or less. Areas around beaver houses, downed trees or transition areas were best locations for finding brookies. Small, flashy spoons in white, pink or wonder bread, tipped with a wax worm or salted minnows were very effective.
Panfish - Crappie and sunfish fishing has been up and down on Ely area lakes as one day we have spring-like temperatures then the next back to January-like temperatures. Regardless of what the temperatures are finding crappies out in 25 to 35 feet of water, over mud flats. On good days crappies are aggressively hitting soft plastics and small jigging raps. On slow days you will have to downsize to wax worms on a small tungsten jig. Hot colors have been chartreuse, pink and purple.
Pike - With another wave of warm temperatures anglers took the time to set out the tip up on poplar pike lakes. Good numbers with a few big pike sprinkled were the results. As usual, river mouths, shallow bays and weedbeds were the best areas to find pike. Fishing with frozen smelt and medium suckers produced the best results." — Arrowhead Outdoors, 218-365-5358
Wired2Fish January 7, 2026 "Ice Cold Giant Kansas Crappies"
"Frank Haidusek looks forward to the winter weather most people dread. Forget the cold temperatures, the snow and the bitter wind chills that hit the plains of Kansas. As long as there is open water, Haidusek is going crappie fishing.
“Winter is one of my favorite times of the year for crappie fishing,” said Haidusek, a guide, tournament fisherman and pro staff member for Bass Pro Shops. “Once the water temperature drops into the 40s, the fish are really grouped up. You can sit in one area and really catch ‘em.”
And some big ones, too. During a recent trip on El Dorado Lake, Haidusek hit the mother lode. Guiding his father and a guest who had never fished before, he led the party to seven fish weighing more than ..." Read Full Story and Learn More >> Ice Cold Giant Kansas Crappies
Lake of the Woods Ice Fishing Report January 7, 2026
"Lake of the Woods continues to offer excellent ice fishing conditions across the South Shore, Rainy River, and Northwest Angle. Ice conditions are strong, resorts are busy, and fishing activity remains very good. Some resorts transport anglers to the door of their heated fish house vs offering ice roads. In these cases, bombardiers and specialized track rigs are in full use with good conditions.
While every ice road has different weight limits, many resort-managed ice roads are now allowing 1-ton trucks pulling wheelhouses. As always, anglers should check directly with the resort or outfitter managing the road for current weight restrictions.
South Shore Ice Fishing Report
Most fishing activity is taking place in 25 to 31 feet of water. The most productive setup continues to be a jigging line paired with a deadstick. Actively work the jigging line to call fish in and target aggressive walleyes, while running a deadstick in a second hole with a live minnow set 6 inches to 1 foot off the bottom. This combination is catching everything from aggressive biters to more lethargic fish.
Best Presentations & Colors
Blinking and lighted lures have been very effective. A red blinking Dirty Bomb with a 4 to 6 inch dropper and live minnow has been a strong producer. Rippin’ Raps and various jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head are also working well. Productive colors include gold, gold/pink, glow red, glow white, and combinations of these. In addition to walleyes and saugers, anglers continue to catch jumbo perch, eelpout, northern pike, tullibees, and occasional sturgeon.
Rainy River Ice Fishing Report, Ice Improving
Ice thickness on the Rainy River continues to build, though anglers should always be cautious due to current. Walleye activity has been best during morning and evening hours, and some sturgeon anglers are finding success as well. Even a few eelpout being caught on the river. Working through a resort or outfitter is strongly recommended.
Northwest Angle Ice Fishing Action In Full Swing
Ice fishing at the Northwest Angle is in full swing with ice thickness steadily increasing. The ice road from Young’s Bay to island resorts is in good shape, and fish cleaning houses are seeing some very nice buckets of fish. Resorts have houses out and fishing has been solid. Some resorts are also offering crappie fishing opportunities, adding variety to a traditional walleye trip.
Ice fishing on Lake of the Woods remains strong heading forward. Always stay on marked ice roads and trails, follow posted weight limits, and let resorts manage ice safety so you can focus on fishing." — Lake of the Woods Tourism, (800) 382-FISH
More Recent Fishing Reports
Follow on X • Follow on Facebook • Ely MN 12-31 • Lake of the Woods 12-30 • Lake of the Woods 12-3 • Lake Winnie 11-13 • Gary Barnard 11-11 • Technology 10-25 • Charts 1-23-25 • MAPS 1-22-23 • Barotrauma Study 1-25-24 • Fish Consumption • Forward Sonar • Panfish Workgroup
January 1, 2026 Sundin: "The Start of a Very Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year From Grand Rapids Minnesota Everybody!
I hope that like me, you’ve been enjoying the holidays with family and friends. I’ll say that it’s been nice to enjoy a slower work schedule. There’s something to be said for catching up on sleep and enjoying time at home. That's given me some time to update my computer too, and with luck. I'll have the bugs worked out of the new system this week.
Next week marks the start of another busy time for me. The Winnibigoshish Work Group meets on January 7th, then I’ll be attending the MN DNR Roundtable meetings on January 9th. After each session, I’ll be reporting the report-able to keep you apprised of whatever lies ahead for the 2026 fishing season.
Saturday, January 10th, I’m getting together with my brother and his bandmates for our first jam session of the winter. So, for those of you that have enjoyed some of my guitar stories, I’ll have news to share with you too.
I imagine that you’re wondering if I’ll be ice fishing, and the answer is yes. That said, I haven’t been so mad at the fish as to make catching them a priority just yet. Susan bought me the early birthday gift of an ice fishing package on Lake of the Woods, and I’m really looking forward to that. We’re obviously not going to make it up to the boundary waters for today’s trout fishing opener. But with the inland waters trout fishing season set to begin on January 17th, 2026, we might try our luck at that.
Naturally, I’ll be sharing fishing reports that come in from the field, and answering reader’s questions as they come in. So, please be sure to check the website periodically for news updates.
Happy New Year! See you again soon." 
— Jeff Sundin, The Early Bird Fishing Guide Office Cell Call or Text 218-245-9858 or Email on Facebook on X
Wired2Fish December 31, 2025 "The Brave New World of Jig Head Design"
"With so many of bass fishing’s bait and lure manufacturers tirelessly working to crack the code on the next best thing, all that outside-the-box thinking has led to some outside-the-box baits.
Knowing this, I wasn’t too surprised when I recently stumbled on a vein of “jigheads” that didn’t look all that much like the jigheads I grew up using. But I was curious, so I decided to buy a few and try them out. Keep reading to check out what I found and how some of these unusual jigs performed.
Buckeye Freestyle Swimbait Jig head: I’ve seen some line-through swimbait heads before, like those from 6th Sense and Picasso, but this is a pretty unique concept. Instead of feeding the line through this head to tie on the hook, Buckeye just attached a treble hook to the ..." Read Full Story and Learn More >> The Brave New World of Jig Heads
Wired2Fish December 18, 2025 "What Science Says About Black Versus White Crappie"
"Here in Louisiana, fishermen’s opinions run a dime a dozen, and it seems everyone has their own take on lures, techniques, and theories when it comes to crappie fishing.
Take a recent crappie fishing tournament, where I witnessed a conversation ignite about the differences between white and black crappie that left me questioning what was actually true and what was hearsay.
The Anglers Weigh In: It all started with Toby Bean, the afternoon’s designated fish fry cook. As Bean checked the temperature of the oil before adding the first crappie fillet, he examined the fillet by holding it up to the sunlight. “Looks like a fillet from a white slab,” he said. I asked him how he could tell. “Easy,” Bean replied. “White crappie fillets are always thinner. Black crappie are thicker and ..." Read Full Story and Learn More >> What Science Says About Black Versus White Crappie
December 4, 2025 Sundin: "Christmas Fishing Gift Ideas"
Last summer, I offered guidance about some of the fishing gear that provided me, and my customers great success. This morning, I thought it wise to offer up some ideas for fishing lures that will make great stocking stuffers for Christmas.
Remember the story about Tim Meyer, the guy that turned me on to using Eye Candy to catch walleyes and perch on Lake Winnie? The full article rand on September 14, 2025 and maybe this snippet will jog your memory.
“Tim Meyer, owner of Beauty Bay Lodge in Nevis MN was exceedingly helpful, gracious and generous. Meyer not only showed us the lures he and his crew were using but also gave us a small supply of them to try for ourselves. Northland Tackle’s Eye-Candy, Paddle Shad paired with their 1/8-ounce Smeltinator Jig was the lure they had set up. Their method consisted of trolling at about .7 to 1.0 mph while they fished the jigs using an aggressive sweep-fall presentation. “You can’t jig it too hard,” Meyer advised.
Once we got rigged up with the lures, and became familiar with the correct jigging motion, fish began to cooperate with us. As you can see by accompanying pictures, we caught perch, walleye and pike using them."
The setup, a 1/8 ounce SMELTINATOR® JIG , paired with a 3-1/2 or 4 inch Eye Candy Paddletail Shad would make a great Christmas gift. As always, I encourage you to shop locally and get them from a tackle shop or bait store in your hometown. But if you can'd find them there, click here to visit the Northland Fishing Tackle Website, to check out their full lineup of fishing lures, they'll be happy to sell them to you directly.
Tomorrow morning, I'll share a more announcements, along with a few more gift ideas so be sure to check in before you go shopping! — Jeff Sundin, The Early Bird Fishing Guide Office Cell Call or Text 218-245-9858 or Email on Facebook on X
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