Fishing advice near Ely

[jimney]

Hi all,

I am coming up for a few days during the first week of September with my wife and our great friends to stay in a cabin. We expect to try to get out on a lake (I believe it is Farm Lake) and catch some fish. I realize walleye, perch, smallmouth, crappie, and maybe pike will be available. We have caught plenty of pan fish, but have very little walleye experience and no pike or smallmouth. What are a couple of the baits (for the minimally equipped) that you would tell us not to leave home without? We can swing by our local bass pro and take care of that wish list. Also, with the water being much clearer, is there a specific type of line that you recommend? Thanks in advance.

Jim

[goblueM]

Original Shad raps in perch and silver. Get a couple sizes to cover different depths

Leadhead jigs with minnows will catch just about anything.

Spinnerbaits will get you bass and pike as well

As far as line type, if you aren't very experienced, I would suggest 8 or 10 pound monofilament

If you are throwing lures, you're gonna run into pike, so you might want to consider some wire leaders

[jimney]

Thanks GoBlue. That is very helpful. We don't use the perch colors here as much, so I'll be picking some up. I'm looking forward to hooking into a pike of any size. By the way, that is a beast in your avatar.

[jmg]

When we fished Farm, South Farm, White Iron and Garden Lakes, we found that lures with orange on them worked the best for walleyes, northerns and smallies. But that was in June a few years ago. One of my favorites was a blue/silver/orange Husky Jerk.

Good luck to you. Beautiful country up there, but challenging to catch quality fish.

[jimney]

Thanks for the advice JMG. I will consider grabbing something with orange. It will definitely be a sharp learning curve, but it will be enjoyable even if we don't catch a fish (though a 30" Pike wouldn't hurt my feelings!).