Best Lakes for Fishing Near Ely
Minnesota
30 fishing lakes within driving distance of Ely, Minnesota, ranked by water quality and fishing-specific filters. Filtered for documented fish species (3+) and public access. Ranked by water quality and species diversity.
Within reasonable driving distance of Ely sit 30 graded lakes — a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend. The average grade across the nearby set is A.
The fishing-specific ranking layered on top of the LakeGrade rubric is what produces the list below: a grade-good lake that does not also support the fishing use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miner'S Pit West Lake | St. Louis | A | 0.6 mi | 23.1 ft | 140 ft |
| 2 | Little Long Lake | St. Louis | A | 2.7 mi | 21 ft | 45 ft |
| 3 | Burntside Lake | St. Louis | A | 6 mi | 16 ft | 126 ft |
| 4 | Armstrong Lake | St. Louis | A | 10.4 mi | 16.2 ft | 34 ft |
| 5 | Eagles Nest Lake | St. Louis | A | 12 mi | 15.5 ft | 49 ft |
| 6 | Tofte Lake | Lake | A | 14.3 mi | 18.5 ft | 73 ft |
| 7 | Snowbank Lake | Lake | A | 21.4 mi | 15.1 ft | 150 ft |
| 8 | St James Pit Lake | St. Louis | A | 30.7 mi | 47.6 ft | 381 ft |
| 9 | Lost Lake | St. Louis | A | 39.4 mi | 23 ft | 44 ft |
| 10 | Hanson Lake | Lake | A | 39.9 mi | 18 ft | 100 ft |
| 11 | Silver Lake | St. Louis | A | 40.9 mi | 19.3 ft | 29 ft |
| 12 | Deep Lake | St. Louis | A | 40.9 mi | 17.2 ft | 50 ft |
| 13 | Ely Lake | St. Louis | A | 43 mi | 17.1 ft | 70 ft |
| 14 | Cramer Lake | Lake | A | 44.5 mi | - | 4 ft |
| 15 | Round Lake | Cook | A | 49.1 mi | 16.5 ft | 45 ft |
| 16 | East Twin Lake | St. Louis | A | 5.8 mi | 13.1 ft | 51 ft |
| 17 | Fenske Lake | St. Louis | A | 6.5 mi | 11.5 ft | 43 ft |
| 18 | Ed Shave Lake | St. Louis | A | 12.4 mi | 11.5 ft | 17 ft |
| 19 | Bear Head Lake | St. Louis | A | 12.9 mi | 11 ft | 46 ft |
| 20 | Dunnigan Lake | Lake | A | 17.5 mi | 11.4 ft | 14 ft |
| 21 | Meander Lake | St. Louis | A | 20.6 mi | 13 ft | 25 ft |
| 22 | Whitewater Lake | St. Louis | A | 30.5 mi | 14 ft | 73 ft |
| 23 | Dumbbell Lake | Lake | A | 34.2 mi | 14.8 ft | 40 ft |
| 24 | Cadotte Lake | St. Louis | A | 36.2 mi | 10.2 ft | 18 ft |
| 25 | Wilson Lake | Lake | A | 40 mi | 10.7 ft | 53 ft |
| 26 | Pleasant Lake | St. Louis | A | 45.2 mi | 10 ft | 33 ft |
| 27 | Sea Gull Lake | Cook | A | 47.5 mi | 14.3 ft | 40 ft |
| 28 | White Lake | St. Louis | A | 47.7 mi | 11.5 ft | 29 ft |
| 29 | Stewart Lake | Lake | A | 49.8 mi | 10 ft | 20 ft |
| 30 | Shagawa Lake | St. Louis | B | 0.9 mi | 8.9 ft | 48 ft |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.