US Customs and Border Protection

Ely, MN

Hours of Operation

8:30am to 4:30pm Daily

After Hours:

If you have a NEXUS or I-68, you may report by phone by calling 1-800-505-8131

Please note this number is only for remote crossers with NEXUS cards or Form I-68

If you are not in possession of one of the above documents, 

you must report in person to an open port of entry

• Crane Lake                7:00am - 6:00pm CST Daily
• Grand Marais             8:00am - 4:00pm CST Daily
• International Falls       Open 24 hours/Day
• Duluth                        8:00am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday

If you have any questions regarding your arrival, 

please contact CBP at International Fall, MN

218-283-2541

The big ones are being caught: Lakers, walleye, northern pike this past week. Minnows are hot...fathead chubs, rainbow chubs, shiners and pike suckers.

Good news is that many anglers are doing CPR with their catch...Catch, Photograph and Releasing. Remember the big ones deserve to be caught again!

Angler Contest
Bring in or email your fish photos to Spirit of the Wilderness (info@elycanoetrips.com) and we will enter you in the free Ely area Angler Contest. We accept both released or kept fish images.

Be sure to include your name, address, type of fish, measurements, what lake you caught it on and what bait or lure you used.

Not one, but two on the same day; 29 and 29 3/4 inch lakers

 Caught on Burntside lake

Paula W. first Lake trout and she was excited!

Larry B. 28.5" walleye caught & released on Bear Head Lake

Angler Fishing Contest

Each summer the Ely Echo has a summer long fishing contest here in town.  It is free to submit an entry.  Spirit of the Wilderness is one of the Angler Check In Stations for the contest. 

If you are in the area make sure to take a photo of your fish and send it to us with your contact info and how big your fish is.  The contest allows you to enter fish you keep by bringing them in to us to weight and measure or you can take a photo and release the fish for someone else to catch later.  We recommend the Catch and Release method so someone else can have a chance at catching a trophy down the road.

Here are a few of recent entries.

Quetico Station Openings & Ice Conditions, May 16, 2013

Information and photos supplied by Quetico Park Service

Update May 16.

Information on station opening:

• May 17, Atikokan Entry, Dawson Trail Entry, and Lac La Croix stations will be open
• May 18 - Prairie Portage station will be open. The Prairie Portage station will open at 10 am. Self-serve will be available before 10 am.
• Beaverhouse and Cache Bay stations remain closed until further notice. Updates will be posted when available.

Ice conditions are variable and travel could be limited. There are no penalties for changes/cancellations at this time.

May 16 fly-over:

The photos mainly show ice on the deeper lakes but most of the park is ice-free. Hopefully after the rain this weekend the ice will be gone!

Inlet Bay, Prairie Portage Dock - lower left

Baily Bay, Basswood

  
    Basswood Lake

Isabella Lake entry, May 16, 2013

Dropped a group off today traveling Isabella Lake to South Kawishiwi. Undergrowth is just starting to sprout.

May 15, 2013 USFS Ice Out Report

One More Ice Out Report.  Let's hope these end soon and we don't have to worry about ice until winter.

 

A strong crosswind grounded the fire patrol this afternoon. New information from observers:

• Disappointment is open.

• Parent Lake (near Snowbank) is iced. Snowbank is still iced in.

• Rice and August Lake are open.

• Vermilion Lake was iced in yesterday.

• Big Lake was reported open yesterday, but southerly winds pushed the ice pack to the northern half today.

• The North Arm of Burntside is still frozen. The East Arm is full of dark ice.

This information is from Monday’s flight:

• Moose Lake: southwestern third is open; northeastern two thirds frozen but dark ice.

• S. Kawishiwi R. and Gabbro Lake are mostly open.

• Turtle is open.

• There is ice in the middle of Bald Eagle.

• Clearwater and Pietro are frozen (thin ice) but Gull is open.

• Quadga and Bog are open.

• Isabella and Perent still have a lot of ice in the middle.

• Polly and Phoebe are open.

• Alton and Sawbill are still frozen.

• Generally the smaller lakes in the south east are open or mostly open. Larger lakes are still frozen.

• Alice is frozen.

• Insula south of The Rock is open, the northern portion is frozen.

• Lake 3 is mostly open.

• Knife Lake including the South Arm is mostly ice.

• Saganaga is still frozen.

FS Pilot report—this information is from a flight late Sunday afternoon.

• Jackfish- 40% open

• Open: Pipestone, Stuart, Agnes, Nina Moose, Ramshead, Upper and Lower Pauness

• Frozen: Oyster

• Bald Eagle- 60% open

• Gabbro- 75% open

• Open: Gull, Turtle, Lakes 1 and 2

• Clearwater- frozen, but open around the edges.

Today’s safety message: Bears are awake and hungry. Keep a clean camp.

Winds are drying fine fuels quickly. Be careful with fire.

Give yourself a fighting chance. Wear your PFD.

Ice Condition Report - May 14, 2013

Superior National Forest Ice Update

Tuesday PM, May 14, 2013

A strong crosswind grounded the fire patrol this afternoon. New information from observers:

Generally the smaller lakes in the south east are open or mostly open. Larger lakes are still frozen.

• Disappointment is open.
• Parent Lake (near Snowbank) is iced. Snowbank is still iced in.
• Rice and August Lake are open.
• Vermilion Lake was iced in yesterday.
• Big Lake was reported open yesterday, but southerly winds pushed the ice pack to the northern half today.
• The North Arm of Burntside is still frozen. The East Arm is full of dark ice.
This information is from Monday’s flight:
• Moose Lake: southwestern third is open; northeastern two thirds frozen but dark ice.
• S. Kawishiwi R. and Gabbro Lake are mostly open.
• Turtle is open.
• There is ice in the middle of Bald Eagle.
• Clearwater and Pietro are frozen (thin ice) but Gull is open.
• Quadga and Bog are open.
• Isabella and Perent still have a lot of ice in the middle.
• Polly and Phoebe are open.
• Alton and Sawbill are still frozen.
• Alice is frozen.
• Insula south of The Rock is open, the northern portion is frozen.
• Lake 3 is mostly open.
• Knife Lake including the South Arm is mostly ice.
• Saganaga is still frozen.
FS Pilot report—this information is from a flight late Sunday afternoon.
• Jackfish- 40% open
• Open: Pipestone, Stuart, Agnes, Nina Moose, Ramshead, Upper and Lower Pauness
• Frozen: Oyster
• Bald Eagle- 60% open
• Gabbro- 75% open
• Open: Gull, Turtle, Lakes 1 and 2
• Clearwater- frozen, but open around the edges.

Today’s safety message: 
Bears are awake and hungry. Keep a clean camp.
Winds are drying fine fuels quickly. Be careful with fire.
Give yourself a fighting chance. Wear your PFD.

Updated May 13, 2013 Ice Out Report from USFS

Superior National Forest Ice Update
Monday PM, May 13, 2013

Today’s Safety Message:
• Grasses are dry and cured. We’ve had a few small fires. Keep fires small and stay nearby.
• Winds will be from the south at 5 to 15 mph but with gusts up to 30 mph. Wear PFDs.

FS Pilot report—this information is from a flight late Sunday afternoon.

• Jackfish- 40% open
• Open: Pipestone, Stuart, Agnes, Nina Moose, Ramshead, Upper and Lower Pauness
•  Frozen: Oyster
• Bald Eagle- 60% open
• Gabbro- 75% open
• Open: Gull, Turtle, Lakes 1 and 2
• Clearwater- frozen, but open around edges
• This information is from today’s flight:
• Moose Lake: southwestern third is open; northeastern two thirds frozen but dark ice.
• S. Kawishiwi R. and Gabbro Lake are mostly open.
• Turtle is open.
• There is ice in the middle of Bald Eagle.
• Clearwater and Pietro are frozen (thin ice) but Gull is open.
• Quadga and Bog are open.
• Isabella and Perent still have a lot of ice in the middle.
• Polly and Phoebe are open.
• Alton and Sawbill are still frozen.
• Generally the smaller lakes in the south east are open or mostly open. Larger lakes are still frozen.
• Alice is frozen.
• Insula south of The Rock is open, the northern portion is frozen.
• Lake 3 is mostly open.
• Knife Lake including the South Arm is mostly ice.
• Saganaga is still frozen.

Reports from observers:

• Snowbank is iced but the bays are opening

May 13, 2013 USFS Ice Out Report

Superior National Forest Ice Update
Monday, May 13, 2013

Today’s Safety Message:
• Grasses are dry and cured. We’ve had a few small fires. Keep fires small and stay nearby.
• Winds will be from the south at 5 to 15 mph but with gusts up to 30 mph. Wear PFDs.

FS Pilot report—this information is from a flight late Sunday afternoon. There is a flight up now so more information will be sent later:

• Pipestone- open
• Jackfish- 40% open
• Stuart- open
• Agnes- open
• Oyster- frozen
• Nina Moose- open
• Ramshead- open
• Upper & Lower Pauness- open
• Bald Eagle- 60% open
• Gabbro- 75% open
• Gull- open
• Pietro- open
• Clearwater- frozen, but open around edges
• Turtle- 25% open
• Lakes 1,2,3 open
• Moose Lake: southwestern third is open; northeastern portion frozen but dark ice.

May 11, 2013 Ice Out Report from USFS

Superior National Forest Ice Update
Friday, May 11, 2013

US Forest Service Update
Today’s Safety Message:
• A personality change is a good indicator for hypothermia. When the loud person gets quiet or the quiet person gets loud, encourage them to take shelter and drink something hot.
• Wear your PFD.
• Ice packs may shift. Be prepared.

FS Pilot report—Information added from flight late Thursday afternoon:
• Fall Lake is mostly open.
• Newton is open.
• There was a very wide band of dark ice from west shore to east shore in the middle of Pipestone Bay of Basswood blocking passage north of Caribou Point.
• Ella Hall, Mud, Muskeg, Hula, and Wood are all open.
• Back Bay is mostly open.
• Wind Bay of Basswood is open but Wind Lake is 75% frozen.
• Moose Lake is mostly frozen but the ice is dark
• Sucker and Newfound are covered with mostly dark ice. These lakes have some open water around the edges.
• Little Gabbro is open. Gabbro is 80% frozen.
• The Kawishiwi River is open from Birch Lake to White Iron. From River Point the river is open up to Three Mile Lake but Three Mile Lake is frozen.
• North Kawishiwi River is mostly open. Lake One is open from the public access to Kawishiwi Lodge. There is a big chunk of ice in the northern half of the lake blocking passage. Insula, Alice, Fraser, and Thomas are frozen.
• Ensign is frozen but dark. Knife and Kek are frozen.
• Garden is 75% open. South Farm is 30% open and dark ice.
• Big Lake is frozen but may open in a day or two.
• The Nina Moose River (aka Moose/Portage River North) is open and Nina Moose Lake is about 80% open. Ramshead is only 40 % open. Stuart, Agnes, and Oyster are frozen.
• The Little Indian Sioux River is open but the Pauness Lakes are only 50% open.
• Dumbell, Sawbill, Isabella, Sawbill, and Kawishiwi Lakes and most lakes of any size on the east half of the forest are still frozen.

2013 MN Fishing Opener

Today is the day!  The Minnesota Fishing opener is finally here.  We have been waiting for this day.  The Minnesota fishing opener is a state holiday according to some. 

We have been watching the ice slowly slowly melt.  There is just enough open water around Ely, MN for a number of Anglers to get out and fishing.  We were worried people might still be ice fishing!

Today is looking to be a windy day.  With the cold spring water please be careful out there and wear your life jackets. 

Happy Catching!

May 10, 2012 Ice Conditions

Superior National Forest Ice Update

    Friday, May 10, 2013
                                                                      
Today’s Safety Message:

·         Predictions for winds today include gusts up to 38 miles per hour.

o   Please wear a PFD if you venture out on the water.

o   Be careful with fire. Spring fuels dry out quickly.

o   Ice packs may shift dramatically.

·         Rivers may be dangerous.

o   High volumes of water are causing some dangerous landings at portages.

o   Currents are swift and unpredictable.

FS Pilot report (limited fire patrol flight this afternoon):

·         Fall Lake is mostly open. Newton is open. Pipestone is open up the middle almost to Caribou Point. The rest may open in a couple of days. Jackfish still has white ice.

·         The Nina Moose (Moose/Portage River North) is open and Nina Moose Lake is about 80% open. Agnes is only 40 % open.

·         Dumbell, Sawbill, and most lakes of any size on the east side are still frozen.

·         Moose Lake is mostly frozen.

Reports from people on the ground:

·         Farm Lake is frozen.

·         Sawbill still at 13 inches of ice.

·         Lake One appears to be open from the landing past Kawishiwi Lodge—how much farther is not known.

May 9, 2013 ice out report

Superior National Forest Ice Update

                                         Thursday, May 9, 2013

                                                                       

Current Ice out report from the US Forest Service

Today’s Safety Message:

·         Please remember large masses of ice may shift. Even if there is a narrow channel open along the edge of a lake the opening may be pinched off suddenly.

·         Winds up to 30 mph are predicted for this weekend.

·         The water is dangerously cold. Wear your life preserver if you go out.

Reports from observers at landings:

•   In general, smaller, shallow lakes and rivers on the western half of the Superior National Forest are opening up. 
•   Rivers on the east side of the forest are opening. Lakes are almost all still frozen. 
•   There are no reports of any lakes associated with river entry points being open. The Little Indian Sioux and Moose/Portage (aka Nina Moose) River water levels are high. 
•  Fall Lake is open from the Fall Lake Campground landing to the falls. Newton is open. Pipestone is iced in well south of Caribou Point. 
•  Tofte, Moose, and Snowbank Lakes are still frozen. 
•  Ojibway Lake has 8 feet of open water out from the public landing. 
• The Kawishiwi River leaving east from the Lake One landing is open. 
•   Burntside is frozen. 
•  Little Long and Fenske Lakes are almost completely full of ice. 
•  Johnson (south of Ely off Hwy 21) is open. 
•  Robinson Lake (west of Ely on 169) is open. 
•  Birch Lake is still solid with white ice. 
• There is open water at the South Kawishiwi River Campground landing. 
• Sawbill Lake’s ice—from 23 inches down to 14 inches today.

May 8, 2013 Ice Out report from US Forest Service

                 Superior National Forest Ice Update

                                                                        May 8, 2013

                                                                       

Current Ice Conditions:

From FS pilots: They flew a west patrol yesterday from Jackfish west and south to Birch and Vermilion Lakes.

•       Everything was still frozen. Many lakes were still frozen right to the shoreline. 
•       Fall Lake had the most open water around the edges but was still 80% ice covered. 
•     Birch, Vermilion, Burntside, western Basswood including Pipestone and Jackfish Bays, S. Farm, and White Iron were frozen. 
•       There was a little open water near the bridge on the northern end of White Iron and a little open water on the southeast end.

Reports from others:

•         Rivers are running hard but the lakes are not open. 
•          Some people are venturing out over the ice (very dangerous!) only to find themselves confronting more ice. 
•          A few smaller lakes are very black and may open with rain or wind. 
•          Sawbill Lake had 23 inches of ice on it yesterday.

Sorry to spread such cold, hard news.

May 5, 2013 Ice Out Report

May 5, 2013  We drove out to Fall Lake boat landing near Ely, MN yesterday morning to see how the ice was doing.  We are all getting anxious to have the ice melt so we can start the 2013 BWCA canoe season.

As you can see from the photos we have a little more melting to do.  The ice has pulled away from parts of the shoreline, but remains pretty thick.  Take a look at the second photo.  There are a couple of people out ice fishing about a 100 yards from shore.  We watched them catch a couple of fish while we watched.  This time of year they would be fishing for Crappies.

Miners Lake and Shagawa Lake in Ely, MN both still have similar ice to Fall Lake.  Some of the rivers and areas with current are starting to break up more.

This coming weekend, May 11, 2013, is the Fishing opener.  We are hoping the 65+ degree weather will help move things along.  Please check back for more updates on the ice conditions.

May 5, 2013 Fall Lake boat landing near Ely, MN

May 5, 2013 Fall Lake, Ice Fishermen

Ely, MN Ice Conditions

This year everyone is worried about when the ice will go out and if it will be out by the May 11, 2013 fishing opener.  Most of the snow has melted...finally.  The lakes are still covered with ice.  In 2012 the ice went out the end of March.  Here we are May 2, 2013 and we still have over a foot of ice on most of the lakes.

Many of the lakes around the Ely, MN area and the BWCA have grey ice which is a good sign that things are slowly melting.  The ice is still holding tight to the edges of the lakes.  It's always better when you start to see a little water on the edges.  Some of the rivers such as the Kawishiwi River will have open water before lakes without current.  The current in the rivers helps break up the ice a little faster.

Time and warmer temperatures will help move things along.  We have had a few canoeing groups move their trips back a week or two.  Last year we sent a few groups out by April 27, 2012.

Here is a picture April 30, 2013 of Miners Lake in Ely, MN.  Still lots of ice yet!

Check back with us to learn more about Ely, MN ice conditions. 

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