June was a great bass fishing month for most Ely Minnesota resort guests. Early June is usually a great time for finding bass in shallow water as they get ready to spawn. Later in the month, they move out into deeper water along breaks and points. Due to the colder weather this spring, the fishing patterns were a few weeks behind schedule.
In mid June, two friends and I decided to take a day trip into a near-by BWCA lake. Normally we would look for a fourth person so we could use two canoes but this time, my friend Wade decided to use his kayak for the trip.
We arrived at the Fall Lake landing at 5:30 AM to find a beautiful sunrise in the horizon. We set out across fall lake with our destination in site.......Four Mile Portage. For those of you unfamiliar with this portage, It was originally a railroad track linking Fall Lake and Hoist Bay of Basswood Lake. It served as a transport for the logging industry many years ago. It was later used as a truck portage for campers and residents of Basswood lake. In the 1990's, the truck portage was closed and what was once a wide gravel road has now grown back to a narrow walking path. Due to the distance of the portage, mechanized wheels are allowed to transport boats and canoes.
We quickly arrived at the portage to a view of mist on the water and the remains of the railroad pier sticking out of the water. After loading our canoe and kayak on top of a set of wheels, we set off down the portage. By 6:45 AM, we had arrived at our destination....Ella Hall Lake. Ella Hall is a quiet, secluded lake with great habitat for both small mouth and large mouth bass.
The morning air was still which provided great visibility as we fished. We immediately started catching large and small mouth bass ranging from 2.5 lbs to 5lbs. As late morning approached, the wind picked up and light clouds moved in creating great opportunity. We switched our technique from a slower presentation to faster action casting with tube bates as the fish became more aggressive. Between the three of us, we lost count but estimated a final catch of over eighty fish.
We also took time to have a shore lunch and a quick swim to cool off. It was one of those fishing days you remember for years.