Ely Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69066000
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Ely Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (2,535 fish).
- Ely Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 23,211 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 70 ft; surface area 723 acres, 225 littoral acres, 9.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 18.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Eveleth; DNR lake number (DOW) 69066000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/26/1986 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 2,535 | 169.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,901 | 169.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,706 | 167.8 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,449 | 168.9 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,620 | 231.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | North end of lake along northwest shoreline, adjacent to Cedar Island Dr. (Co. Rd. 629). - Parking for approx. 10 vehicles with trailers. Fairly steep grade down to lake. Cement planks are installed from launching area, up the hill to edge of Cedar Island Dr. Anglers occasionaly fish from shore here. There is no "fishing pier". |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 32.14 | 50 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 12.21 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Mottled sculpin | Backpack electrofishing | 10.93 | 17 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 7.71 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 7.71 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 6.43 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 3.86 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Backpack electrofishing | 3.21 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 28.30 | 283 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 7.40 | 74 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 2.10 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 2.10 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 1.60 | 16 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 50-ft beach seine | 1.20 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | 50-ft beach seine | 0.90 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | 50-ft beach seine | 0.80 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 17.93 | 251 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 13.14 | 184 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 1.86 | 26 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 1.14 | 16 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 0.64 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 0.57 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 0.50 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Trapnet - Mini Fyke | 0.43 | 6 | 0.00 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
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.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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