Brainerd Fishing Report: 12-24-12
The ice conditions have improved dramatically during the last few days, but we still have to make some more ice before we start seeing any trucks driving on the lakes. Most area lakes have 6 to 11 inches of ice at the current time. The best walleye bite has been occurring on Gull and Round. There hasn't been much for size, but both have been spitting out good numbers of 13 to 15 inch walleyes in the evenings. Key water depths have been in 14 to 16 feet. The best action has been coming from jigging 1/8 oz glow demons tipped with a minnow head. (My favorite color are the ones with the chartreuse dot.) I like to fish these lures stationary about 6-10 inches off the bottom and then raise the lure slowing once a walleye shows up on the Vexilar. The fish just can't seem to handle the bait getting away and pop the lure with a vengeance. The pike fishing has been good. We're still waiting to get some of the bigger spear houses on Gull, but we've had plenty of action on some of the smaller lakes. Happy Holidays everyone. Thanks for all the business and Happy New Year!
We'll keep you posted.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 12-18-12
The ice conditions remain sketchy in the Brainerd Lakes. One of our ice guides, Kyle, was out scouting over the weekend and found 2 to 6 inches of ice on Gull, Round, North Long, and Crow Wing lakes. With the exception of North Long, there was also about 2 to 5 inches of slush and snow covering the ice on most lakes. (Not good!) North Long had the best ice with 5 to 6 inches. We're going to need some colder weather to improve the current ice conditions. The worst ice Kyle found was on Round Lake. On Saturday he tapped his way out on Round with a chisel. Kyle found 3 to 5 inches until he got about 400 yards out from shore. That's when his chisel pouched through the ice with just one tap. Kyle estimated the ice's depth at 1 1/2 inches. (QUICK REVERSE!) The good news is we've found some safe ice on a few of the smaller lakes and we're ready for fishing. Kyle had a 40+ inch northern up to the hole yesterday on one of those lakes and couldn't get the big gator up the hole. Bring on the ice!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 12-08-12
There hasn't been much ice fishing activity the last few weeks. I've heard several reports of anglers venturing out on North Long and Hubert, but I wouldn't advise it. We had temperatures in the forties last weekend and even the smallest ponds reopened. The one exception was the ice on 371 bay. The weather was cooler today, but it will still be some time before we see houses out on the bigger lakes. The best fishing report I've heard has come from Red Lake. The walleyes are biting in the evenings of Red in 7 to 9 feet of water. I'm sure I'll have to make a trip north if we don't get so ice soon. The ice houses are all ready to go.
Bring on the ice!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 11-22-12
Happy Thanksgiving. My three kids are out in the garage making Lefse and I just finished cooking a big pot of wild rice soup. (A yearly tradition in the Blong family) Life is Good! The Lakes Area finally had its first snowfall this afternoon. The flakes were so large they looked like big cotton balls falling from the sky. I guess we have about 1 1/2 inches on the ground. I hope everyone traveling tonight makes it back home safe. We're all done hunting deer for the year and now we're just waiting for ice. Todd took a little trip to Nebraska last week and bagged an impressive mule deer buck. We never saw another buck during the Minnesota rifle season and our party finished with five bucks. Nothing very big, but there'll be plenty of deer steaks for the winter.  Waiting for Ice!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 11-17-12
The local ponds are covered with a thin layer of ice, but the larger bodies of water are still wide open. I'm predicating it will be at least a month before we see any fish houses on Gull, Whitefish, and Pelican. The forecast calls for highs in the lower fifties this weekend. (So much for making ice!) The fishing has been slow. Most anglers put their boats away two weeks ago, myself included, and went deer hunting instead. The deer harvest has been spotty. Some local groups reported seeing an increase in deer numbers while other groups saw far less than normal. I'm sure our expanding wolf population has something to do with the deer displacement. The good news is the wolves living on our hunting land finally decided to set up shop elsewhere. We only saw one stray wolf this year. It was a welcomed change to seeing 7 to 9 wolves per day on previous seasons. The lone grey ran by my stand at twenty yards opening morning at 7:25 am. I guessed its weight to be around 50 lbs. I wasn't lucky enough to draw a wolf tag this year, so all I could do is sit and watch it walk by. The next 45 minutes were extremely quiet. Our party never fired a shot until Todd broke the ice at 8:10 am. The next several hours made up for it. We harvested five bucks on Saturday. My two boys and I all shot a buck on the same day. That's a feat that's never happened before. Life has been, and still is, Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 10-27-12
The walleye are still biting in the Brainerd Lakes Area, but the action has started to slow. The best spots have been tight to the steepest structures. Key water depths have been in 40 to 45 feet. The best fish have been biting the larger, 4 to 5 inch, minnows. The deep water fall crappie bite has been improving. Todd had several groups out this week and caught some nice crappie in 35 feet. The best locations were adjacent to sharp breaks. I expect this crappie pattern to improve as the water temperatures continue to fall. Thanks for all the calls. It's been a great open water fishing season, but now our open water season is drawing to a close. Give us the next four weekends for hunting deer and then we will be ready to start gearing up for ice. Keep the calls coming. We're booking ice trips daily now. PS: I was out in ND this last weekend with my son and several friends. We had several good shoots, but we were there before the start of the major migration. Darkhouse Bob will be out there again this weekend. Hopefully he is in the midst of it. Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 10-05-12
The best daytime walleye bites on Gull, North Long, and Pelican Lakes have been occurring in the deeper water. Search out the steepest break lines in the lake and you'll find the majority of these fish holding tight to the structure in 35 to 45 feet. The best baits for these spots have been 3/8 oz jigs tipped with golden shiners. The best evening/night bites have been happening shallow. The best evening locations have been large cabbage/sand flats. Long line trolling 5 to 7 inch floating rapala style baits in 5 to 7 feet of water has been producing the most fish. Good bait colors have been blue/silver and black/gold. The musky action continues to improve throughout the area. Key locations have been locations near the healthy, still green, cabbage beds. There were several 52 inch+ musky caught on Mille Lacs this last week alone. It is time to start thinking about deer hunting, it will be here before we know it. Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 9-24-12
A big cold front pushed through last weekend and significantly slowed the deep water bite for walleye on Gull, North Long and Pelican Lake. The good news is there were still a few active fish on the weed lines and they're good sized. We found two large schools over the weekend. The majority of the fish we caught were 18 to 26 inches. Life's is Good! The best baits were 4 to 5 inch chubs on lindy rigs. The wind pounded edges of major weed points in 13 to 15 feet of water provided the best action. The deep water bite should pick up again once the weather have a chance to stabilize. The musky action on Mille Lacs has improved in recent weeks. Key locations have been in healthy, still green, cabbage beds. The action should only improve in the weeks that follow as the musky start to congregate in the last remaining healthy cabbage beds.
Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 9-12-12
The walleyes have started their fall migration to the edges of the deeper mid lake structures. Key water depths have been 22 to 26 feet on Gull Lake, 17 to 24 feet on North Long, and 28 to 32 feet on Pelican. A 3/8 oz jig tipped with a shiner minnow has been an effective bait. Good jig colors have been blue, chrome, and chartreuse. While the best daytime bite has been deep, the best night bite has been shallow. Long line trolling with floating minnow baits in 7 to 9 feet has been very effective after dark. Large windswept points have been key trolling locations. The best sunfish action has been occurring in 8 to 12 feet of water. The majority of the bass have moved back to the first break line on many of the smaller lakes throughout the area. Many of the larger pike have moved shallow too. The best big pike action has been occurring in 8 to 12 feet of water.
Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 9-05-12
The walleye action continues to heat up in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Gull Lake, North Long, Pelican, and the Whitefish Chain have all been VERY productive this last week. The majority of the walleye schools are still relating to the outside edges of the deep weed line, but some of the walleye schools have started to slide deeper. The bulk of the walleye schools are biters right now. All it takes is finding them. Send some time searching for them on your electronics before dropping in a line. The results have been well worth it. The best baits have been minnows. The bass action remains strong. The best locations have been the backside edge of the second weedline. The crappie schools have started to suspend over the deep water holes. The fishing action should only improve in the weeks to come.
See you next week!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 8-31-12
The month of August has been a blur. North Long, Whitefish, and the Gull Lake Chain have all been providing a steady walleye bite for the last two weeks. The best walleye action has been occurring just outside the weedline. Key locations have been saddle areas adjacent to deep water structure. The best walleye action on the Whitefish Chain has been occurring in 17 to 20 feet of water. The best walleye action on Gull Lake has been in 12 to 14 feet with some schools showing up deeper. Redtail chubs have been out producing all other baits. The walleye schools are showing up good on electronics right now. Don't waste precious time fishing in locations where fish aren't present. Pay attention to wind direction. The best walleye locations have been wind blown. The longer the wind pounds any given structure, the better the structure becomes. The bass action has been strong. We've caught numerous 4 to 6 pound bass over the last two weeks. Key locations have been the backside edge of the second weedline. I expect the bass to move even shallower in the coming weeks. The best northern pike action has been occurring in 18 to 20 feet of water. Happy Labor Day!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 8-17-12
Sorry for the delay. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. It's been a steady combination of fishing walleye in the mornings and then bass fishing in the afternoons.  I spent the majority of my mornings on the Whitefish Chain and  the afternoons on several smaller lakes throughout the area. All of the walleye pictures below were taken in my boat over the last twelve days. Most of these fish were caught in 12 to 14 feet of water. Minnows, leeches, and crawlers have all been working well. The larger sunfish are still holding on the edge of the deep weed line in 13 to 15 feet. The bass fishing has been great. We caught some really nice bass in my boat this week but you've have to go to my facebook account if you wish to see the pics. There just wasn't enough room to post them all. The  bass have been relating to the sand grass beds located just outside the deep weed edges. We're still catching 40 to 50 bass on most half day trips. Got to go! It's time to get some shut eye. Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 7-29-12
There's only one way to describe the walleye fishing right now, LIMITS!
The best walleye fishing has been occurring outside the deep weed line in 15 to 16 feet of water. Key locations have been the inside corners and outside points of healthy cabbage weed beds. The walleye schools can be easily seen on electronics at the present time. Minnows, leeches, and crawlers are all working well. The larger pike have gone deep. The larger sunfish are holding on the deep weed line. The bass fishing has been great. We've been catching 40 to 50 bass on most half day trips. Get us a call if you're interested in a catching a fish fry. The walleye fishing doesn't get much better than this in the Brainerd Lakes. Got to go! It's time to get some shut eye. Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 7-20-12
Gull, Whitefish, and North Long continue to kick out walleyes. We had six trips this week that filled out their limits on 1/2 day trips. The best walleye locations have been found on the outside edges of the weed line in 14 to 17 feet of water. The walleyes are easy to see on the depth finder at the present time. Use your electronics to target the hungry schools before stopping to fish. The best bites have been occurring on the days when a consistent wind is present. The bass fishing this last week was nothing short of phenomenal. The best action has been coming from the deep weed edge. Search for the sand grass beds on the outside edge of large cabbage beds. The bass are holding right where the two weed types meet. We've been using jig/worm combos to catch most of our fish. We've had several trips this week that broke the 50 fish mark on 1/2 day trips. The big pike continue to show up outside the deep weed edge. The bigger sunfish continue to bite in 14 to 18 feet. It looks like we've got another great week of weather ahead of us. With the combination of highs in the 80's and great fishing, who could ask for anything more? Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 7-12-12
The warmer water temperatures have kicked the local fish populations into another gear. Pick any one of the big three; Walleye, Bass, or Northern Pike. They all have been biting well this week. The best northern action has been occurring near deep water breaks in 18 to 25 feet of water. The best locations have had deep water forage present. Search for bait schools near the steepest breaks. The hungry "gators" will be close by. The best walleye bite has been occurring on the windier days. Search for the walleye schools in 16 to 18 feet of water on wind blown structures. Good minnows have been difficult to find due to the recent rains but large leeches or crawlers will work in a pinch. The bass fishing has been nothing short of phenomenal. We've had several trips this week that boated 40 to 50 fish on 1/2 day trips. The afternoon bites has been almost as good as the mornings. The best bass action has been happening just outside the weed edge where the sand grass starts. Jig/worm combos have been accounting for most of the fish. The weather this week was great and it looks like next week will even be better.
Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 7-02-12
The bass fishing has heated up in the Brainerd Lakes area. Key locations have been the outer edge of good cabbage beds. Rubber worms and jig/minnow combos have been producing the most fish. We had two trips this week that produced 50+ fish during a four hour outing. Good worm colors have been pumpkin seed and blue fleck. The walleye fishing on the majority of the local lakes remained spotty. The one exception was Mille Lacs. The "big pond" continued to produce good numbers of big fish on the flats. Spin rigs tipped with crawlers have been effective. Good blade colors have been hammered copper and silver. The panfish action remains strong. The recent heat has pushed the larger sunfish off the shoreline breaks and the best schools are now holding on the outside edge of main lake sunken islands. The best islands top out in 6 to 8 feet of water have good cabbage on top. The fishing should only get better now that the warmer water temps pushed the fish metabolism into high gear. Happy Fourth of July.  Life is Good and so it the WEATHER. See you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 6-23-12
Mille Lacs continued to kick out walleyes this last week. I managed to sneak over to the Big Pond a total of five days and we were able to average 25 to 50 walleyes per trip. The best locations have been minor structural elements on major mid lake flats. "Who likes to fish in a crowd?" These spots have received the least amount of pressure and have also been producing the best numbers of keeper fish. The walleye schools have either been on the top edge of the flats in 24 to 25 feet of water or the bottom edge in 29 to 30 feet. It all seems to depend on the day. We've had are best luck catching "keeper" fish by using medium/large leeches. The walleye action on Gull Lake has remained spotty. The best bites have occurred on the windiest days when the strong wave action has enticed the fish outside of the weeds. Key locations have been in 12 to 14 feet. The panfish action was good this last week. The larger sunfish have yet to migrate to the main lake islands and major shoreline points in 9 to 12 feet of water have been the best locations. The bass fishing is starting to pick up throughout the area. Key bass areas have been on the backside edge of the weed flats. Weedless jigs tipped with minnows or a rubber worms have been accounting for most of the bass action. Have you seen the weather forecast?? Nothing but sun for the next seven days. Life is TRULY Good.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 6-15-12
The walleye action on Mille Lacs remained strong this week. The best "keeper" numbers of fish have been coming from nontraditional locations. The larger mud flat points are still producing good fish numbers, but the bulk of the fish on these points have been too large to keep. Good baits have been leeches and crawlers. This week's warmer weather has improved the walleye action on Gull Lake. Key water depths have been in 12 to 14 feet of water. Wind blown points have been out producing other structures. Golden shiners have been effective baits. The bass have been relating to the backside edge of the weedline in 4 to 6 feet of water with a few stragglers still holding near spawning areas. A 5/32 oz jig tipped with rubber worm has been effective bait. Good worm colors have been blue fleck and red shad. The crappies and sunfish have finished spawning and have since moved to deeper waters. The nicer "gills" have been holding on the deeper edge of small underwater islands that top off in 6 to 8 feet of water. A small 1/16 oz jig tipped with a panfish leech has been an effective bait for catching the nicer gills.  Happy Father's Day.
Life is Good.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 6-07-12
Summer has returned to the Brainerd Lakes area. The last week have been nothing short of unbelievable. Light winds, blue skies, and some heat have kicked the walleye fishing into another gear. The walleye action has been great the last few days and I look for it to only improve as the water temperatures continue to rise. Key locations have been the deeper edge of structure. The walleye show up very well on electronics in these locations. The tip for today is don't stop and fish unless you see them on the depth finder. The panfish action remains strong and so does the bass. Time to go. There's lots of work to be done before tomorrow's trip.
Life is Good!

JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 5-31-12
Memorial Weekend was wet and cold. We received almost 5 inches of rain in just three days. The recent cold snap dropped the water surface temps and pushed most baitfish into deeper water. The walleyes followed. Key water depths were 32-36 feet. The one exception was Round Lake. The walleyes stayed on the second weed line there. The walleye fishing was only fair the last few days. We caught some real nice fish, but we definitely had to work for them. Most schools would only give up  1 or 2 fish before shutting down.  I'm sure the numerous lighting storms had something to do with it. (We had three major storms on Sunday alone.)  It sure made for a bunch of running & gunning while fishing walleyes. The crappie fishing has been good. Those able to sneak out between the various lighting, hail, and rain storms were rewarded with steady action. Key crappie depths were 4 to 6 feet. Bring on the sun. I'm ready for summer and tired of wearing raingear. Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 5-25-12
It's been wet and rainy in the Brainerd Lakes. The inclement weather forced me to cancel a few trips this week so I wasn't on the water as much these last few days. The walleye are still biting but the action on the smaller lakes is definitely starting to slow. I'm expecting the action on the bigger lakes such as Gull, Pelican, and North Long to kick in any day now. The night bite on these lakes has been strong for the last two weeks. (A good indication the day bite is ready to pop.) The majority of the walleyes are still holding in 15 to 18 feet of water. A shiner minnow on a lindy rig has been an excellent bait. The Minnesota bass season opens this Saturday and I'm expecting a strong bite. I'm booked for walleyes for the next few days so I guess I'll have to wait until Tuesday before I can give them a try. Most of the bass I've been seeing are still relating to the pencil reeds. The crappie and sunfish are currently spawning in 3 to 6 feet of water. Search the sandy areas with a southern exposure and I'm sure you'll find some aggressive panfish right now. Where has the month of May gone? I can't believe June is just around the corner. See you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 5-21-12
The walleye bite remained strong this week. Key water depths were 14 to 18 feet during the day. The majority of the walleye schools were located on large shoreline breaks which extended well out into the lake. A lively spot-tail shiner fished near vertical on a lindy rig with a 36 inch snell was a deadly combination for catching good numbers of walleye during the daylight hours. (Most of our trips filled out this last week.) The walleye action didn't stop once the sun went down. Several of the larger lakes have been producing good fish numbers after dark. We typically don't guide after the sun goes down, but we had a group of good clients that wanted to give night trolling a try. We had three boats out last night and found the best walleye action in 5 to 6 feet of water. The most productive lures were #13 floating rapalas in blue/silver and firetiger colors. The best speed was 2 mph. The key to night trolling is to let out at least 150 feet of line. (Walleye have a tendency to shy away from the boat in shallow water.) This allows the walleye to settle back down before the lure enters their strike zone.  I almost forgot. The crappie action has been great the last week. Have a Great Memorial Day Weekend.
Life is Good!

JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 5-15-12
What a great opening weekend. I can't remember another with nicer weather. The winds remained light and variable for the first three days of the season with temperatures hovering in the upper 70's to lower 80's. (nice!) We started the weekend on the Gull Lake Chain. It took a little searching but we finally found a nice school of walleyes in 14 to 15 feet of water. The fish were located on the backside of a structure on the opposite side of where you'd expect them to be. Our best bait was a shiner minnow on a lindy rig. The pattern held with the calm conditions and we caught our limit, or close to it, for the next three days . The wind finally picked up again on Tuesday morning when it started blowing 20 to 25 mph from the northwest. We started the morning on North Long but the fish didn't cooperate. We pulled off at 9:30 am with only one "eye" in the box. Gull wasn't much better. We knocked off for lunch at noon with only two walleyes in the live-well. The afternoon was much better. We found a big school of "eyes" on the north end of Gull in 13 feet of water and quickly finished our 18 fish walleye limit in just under an hour. ( Life was Good! ) Thanks to everyone that helped make this last weekend so much fun. Congrats to Jim & Jenna. Jim proposed to Jenna at the end of their morning trip on Saturday. ( A Guiding First! ) Thanks Jared for not picking on me too much. ( Jared and his buddies caught all the walleyes in the boat on Saturday afternoon. I never caught a one! ) Now it's time to get some sleep. Goodnight. PS: The crappies are just starting to move into the pencil reeds.

Brainerd Fishing Report: 5-09-12
Only three days remain before this Saturday's Minnesota walleye opener. I hope everyone is ready. I'll be fishing on Gull Lake this year. I haven't run any break lines yet, but I'm predicting the best water depths will be 10 to 12 feet during the day and 5 to 7 feet once the sun goes down. Major cabbage beds will be key locations. Search the edges of the weeds for irregular features, like points or inside turns, and don't be afraid to crawl right up into the weed bed if you find an opening. Slip bobber fishing can be very effective in these locations. I'll probably start the opener with a lindy rig. (Big Surprise!) I just love fishing a spot tail shiner this way. My favorite rig utilizes a 4 foot snell, #4 hook, and a 1/4 oz sliding sinker. Don't be afraid to fish a little farther from the boat.  Walleyes have a tendency to shy away from the boat in shallow water. The crappies have already started moving out of the backwater channels. I expect the main lake spots to start producing soon. I had young Ben and his family out earlier this week and little Ben put on a fishing clinic. Be safe, have fun, and we'll see you next week.
Life is Good.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 5-06-12
The turkey hunting was unbelievable this weekend. We managed to call in five birds on Sunday alone.  The largest tom had an eleven inch beard. We also had a two bearded gobbler that snuck in from behind. He appeared out of nowhere about 25 yards to the right of the blind. (nice) The biggest Tom we saw today wouldn't commit himself. He held up at 42 yards. We clucked and purred, but the cagey bird just wouldn't come any closer. The youth model 20 gauge the kids were using just didn't have the power to make a clean kill at that range, so we passed on the shot. One of the best shots of the weekend was made by twelve year old Samantha. She literally put the lights out on a nice Jake at 21 yards. We want to thank everyone who volunteered to make this year's youth hunt happen. We look forward to hunting with you guys again. I always look forward to donating my time to such a worthy cause.
Life is Good.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 5-04-12
The crappie fishing was great this week. Key locations were backwater areas with muddy bottoms. The best spots contained deeper holes nearby. We caught the majority of our biggest crappies from these types of locations. The best spot we found was a large dock complex with a powerboat lift. The boat's big engine had formed a large blowout in the lake bottom over the years. The depression was easily 2 to 3 feet deeper than the surrounding bottom. The crappies were holding in the shade of the dock on the edge of the blowout. A small jig & minnow combo, suspended 18 inches below a casting bubble, was an effective bait for this situation. The bobber went down instantly on any cast landing within 2 feet of the dock. Life was GOOD! Thanks for all the calls. It's been a great season so far. I did have a cancellation for May 13th, the Sunday morning of Opening Weekend. I'm booked in the afternoon, but I currently have the morning open. Give me a call if you'd like to fish. Thanks again and we'll see you next week.
Life is Good.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 4-30-12
The weather had been beautiful earlier in the week but then it turned increasingly colder and cloudier as the weekend neared. A forecast of freezing rain and snow for Saturday morning made me rethink our turkey hunting plans with Adam. I didn't want to spoil a turkey hunting experience with memories of inclement weather, so we cancelled our hunting plans on Thursday night. The bad weather never materialized. (So much for predictions.) I switched gears on Friday and spent the weekend crappie fishing instead. I took my two brothers, Mark and Tom, out crappie fishing on Saturday. We caught our limit of 10 to 13 inch crappies in 3 to 4 feet of water. The best bait was a small pearl puddle jumper on a 1/16 oz pink jig. It beat all other lures 2 to 1. I fished Sunday afternoon with my kids and several of their friends. The bite was a little slower, but we still managed to catch a nice bucket of fish. The stronger winds had pushed the warm water out of the bay we had been fishing the previous day. It took a few adjustments, and a little searching, but we were able to find the crappies again. The lure color didn't seem to matter today. Get those boats ready. The walleye opener will be near before we know it.
Life is Good.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 4-23-12
The weather was unpredictable this week in the Brainerd Lakes Area. A combination of colder temperatures and steady rain put a damper on everyone's chance to enjoy the weekend outdoors. The colder water temperatures forced many of the crappie schools back into deeper water. But don't worry, the crappies will return once the sun has had a chance to heat things back up. I figure it will take a day or two at most. Tuesday forecast calls for a high of 70 degrees. Life's GOOD! Key locations before the big chill were shallow backwater channels and boat harbors. These types of locations warm, and cool, rapidly in the spring. Search for spots with mud bottoms. These spots warm the quickest. The first weekend of turkey hunting is over and we've yet to harvest a big gobbler. We saw 20 birds between Saturday and Sunday mornings. Some were as close as ten feet. But we just didn't get a chance to harvest the quality Toms we were looking for. We had seven to eight Toms gobbling in the woods behind us all morning long on Sunday, but for some reason they just didn't want to leave the woods. I'm sure the steady rain had something to do with it. Thank goodness for pop-up blinds. (Sorry for the quality of the hunting pics, I misplaced my camera and had to snap the pictures on my cell phone.) Not good. Time to run. I have another crappie trip tomorrow and it's time to get to bed. See you next week!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 4-16-12
Saturday was a beautiful day in the Brainerd Lakes Area. The daytime high hit 73 degrees, the crappies were biting, and life was truly good! Too bad the fun had to be so short lived. A cold front moved in Sunday afternoon and the temperature dropped 40 degrees. I woke this morning to 1 1/2 inches of snow. Talk about a wet blanket!  The good news is the snow has almost disappeared. I'm sure the rest of the snow will be gone by tomorrow morning. It shouldn't be long before the crappies return to the shallows. They're on the move now. The best spots have been the shallow backwater bays and channels. The crappies were located in 4-5 feet on Saturday. Key locations were close to fallen timber. A small jig suspended below a casting bubble was all that was necessary for loads of fun. SIDE NOTE: The new boat is a rocket! She pops out of the water faster than any boat I've ever owned, even with 5 people in the boat! Thanks again George Liddle and Kim Ott from Ranger Boats. You two were right! It's going to be one sweet ride. Stay tuned... The turkey season is drawing near. There were over sixty birds in the field last Thursday. It should be a good season. See you next week. Gobble, gobble, gobble.. Bang! Life is Good.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 4-09-12
A cooler, near normal, weather pattern has returned to the Brainerd Lakes. (I think last week's heat wave spoiled us!) The spring crappie bite has been fair to good, depending on the day. The crappies have been relating to the first break in 9 to 12 feet of water. Key locations have been major drop-offs near the mouths of small backwater bays. A small 1/32 oz jig suspended below a casting bubble has been the most productive presentation. Position the jig 3 to 5 feet below the bubble and then tip it with a small minnow or plastic tube. White, pink, and yellow have been good tube colors. The key is to fish the lure slowly. The crappies have been willing to bite, but the colder water temperatures have kept them sluggish. A slower fished bait will outperform the traditional pop/reel retrieve right now. The spring turkey season is drawing near. We've got four youth hunters ready to go this season.  The new boat is dialed in. It pops out of the water faster than any boat I've ever owned, even with five people in the boat. Life is GOOD! PS: Check out the lake trout Todd caught a few weeks ago on the Whitefish Chain. See you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 4-02-12
I've got the new boat just about dialed in. Give me another (3) days and we'll be ready to roll. I better hurry, we're headed to the Rainy River this Friday for some walleye fun. It should be a good time. Everything is well ahead of schedule this year. It won't be long before the crappies start heading into the shallows. Key locations are still the deep weed edges just outside of shallow flats but this won't last long given the current weather patterns. I'll post a few crappie pics in my next post along with the monster lake trout Todd caught up on Big Trout Lake the other day. He caught two lakers over the 35 inch mark in one morning. Truly nice fish. Wish I could write more but it's already 12:30 AM and I've still got a little more work do it's time to sleep. So little time and so much to do!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 3-25-12
The heat wave continues in the Brainerd Lakes Area. I took a little drive this afternoon to check on the ice conditions and, to my amazement, every lake I visited was ice free. LOOK at last week's post. Some of these pictures were taken 13 days ago!! I can't remember a spring in my lifetime where the ice left this early or so fast. I guess I better get the boats ready! My new Ranger boat came home yesterday. (I'll post a few more pics in a day or so...) A special thanks to Garett (Rapid Marine), George and Kim (Ranger boats), Mike (Lowrance), and Corey (Vexilar). You guys made this spring a breeze. The plan is to have the boat in the water as much as I can over the next week. Keep posted, I should have another report up in a few days.  Life's even Better now that there is NO ice!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 3-17-12
This week's heat wave has put an end to our 2011/2012 ice fishing season. The ice conditions have become too risky to safely venture out with customers. The ice has pulled away from the edges on several of the larger lakes and is almost black on many of the smaller lakes in the area. With temperatures forecasted in the upper 60's for much of next week, it won't be long before we have open water once again. The ice fishing was very good before the ice conditions deteriorated. Todd's group scored on their annual lake trout adventure with several quality fish. Bob fished several groups the first three days of the week before calling it quits. The perch and Tulibee were happy to oblige on each of Bob's outings. I guess it's time to start thinking about turkey hunting again. We have several turkey groups already lined up for this spring. It should be loads of fun.  Life's Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 3-07-12
It's time to fire up the smokehouse. The annual "Tulli" trip last Saturday was a success.  The best action occurred in the morning and afternoon, but the fish bit well the whole day. The best spot was located in 26 feet of water next to a deep water hump. The fish "shined" well on the Vexilar and were suspended 13-15 feet off the bottom. The best technique was to "quiver" the bait about foot above the fish. Most of the fish would rise quickly to the bait, eyeball it for a minute, and then suck it in softy. The bite was very light. A spring bobber was a necessity. The fish took the bait so gently that the "spring bob" would only sag slightly. The best baits were small panfish jigs tipped with waxworms. The fish size was very good. The sound of a screaming drag was pretty common all day long. The Tulibee action should be good for about another two weeks. Give us a call if you'd like to enjoy some fun on the ice. I can almost smell the hickory chips smoldering already. See you next week. Life's Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 3-01-12
I just finished plowing the last of the snow. I think we got about 6 inches in the Brainerd Lakes area. (Not exactly the huge blizzard everyone was talking about.) I hope everyone got their ice houses off the lake.  We got lucky this year. The snow came "after" we pulled ice houses for a change. It's time to shift gears now that the walleye & pike seasons are closed. We're headed up to Leech Lake this weekend with a group to do a "little" Tulibee fishing. It should be a good time. I was out working on the snowmobiles yesterday and everything is ready to go. We've had some absolutely fabulous "tulli" trips in the past. Key locations are deep water humps that top off in 24-26 feet of water. The best baits are small panfish teardrops tipped with waxworms. We typically attach a 3/16 oz Swedish pimple, without hooks, 12-14 inches above the teardrop to help the bait drop quickly down to the fish. The new boat is in but I haven't had a chance to see it yet.  Two new GPS units came in the mail yesterday. Thanks Lowrance Electronics! I love March. I feel like a little kid every time the UPS truck pulls up to the house.
See you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 2-23-12
The tip up action for northern pike was good this week. We had several productive days where we caught good numbers of quality fish in 10 to 15 feet of water. The biggest pike for the week was 38 inches long with numerous others in the 30 to 36 inch range. Key locations were minor points on main lake structures. The best spots were within 8 to 10 feet of the cabbage weedline. Medium sized sucker minnows were the best baits. The walleye action was fair this week with 3 to 4 fish a night being the norm. The best walleye locations were in 12 to 14 feet. The best baits were Swedish pimples tipped with a shiner minnow. The big surprise of the week was the arrival of the nice sized perch in the shallows. We had several groups that did very well in 12 to 14 feet of water. The perch were running 9 to 11 inches and responded well to small jigging spoons tipped with a minnow. The rental ice house season is quickly coming to an end. Thanks to everyone for making it such a productive year. We'll keep you posted as the spring portable ice fishing season starts to heat up. PS> The new boat came in yesterday. Life's Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 2-15-12
The 2011-2012 ice house rental season is coming to a close. All permanent ice houses have to be off the ice by the end of the month in the Brainerd Lakes Area. (We still will be offering portable ice fishing excursions through the month of March.) Where did the winter go? We never got enough snow to break out the snowmobiles this season, which might be a blessing in disguise considering the bad accident I was in last year.  The anniversary of my accident is coming up on March 3rd. (shiver..) I never want to go through anything like that again. LIFE is GOOD! We've got several groups headed out this weekend, if fact we're booked solid every weekend through the end of February. Thanks for all the inquiries. The crappie fishing is picking up and the pike action has stayed strong. We've also starting to pick up a few more walleyes in the evenings in 18 to 20 feet. Shiner minnows on rattle reels have been producing the most fish for the walleyes. The new boat hasn't arrived yet. I'll post some pictures when it does. See you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 2-07-12
The Ice Fishing Extravaganza is just four days away. Saturday's forecast calls for clear skies and temperatures in the mid-teens so there should be a good turnout at the contest. While ice conditions are favorable in Hole-the-Day bay, anglers should use caution when venturing into other sections of the lake. A large ice pressure ridge has formed on the northwest side of Gull. The ice ridge starts at Rocky Point and extends northeast to Grassy Point. The pressure ridge is 2 to 3 feet high in some areas and  would cause significant damage if struck with a vehicle. The spearing action has been the ticket the last few weeks. We've had groups out every weekend and the success rate has been high. The walleye action has been slow, but we've seen plenty of them swim through the hole while sitting in the darkhouses. Last year the walleye action picked up significantly towards the end of the season. Hopefully this pattern will repeat itself again this year. Good Luck to everyone fishing the Extravaganza on Saturday. See you next week.
Life's Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 1-30-12
Good News! The rescheduled Ice Fishing Extravaganza is officially a go! We've already surpassed the 16 inch minimum ice requirement with a current depth of 18 inches and we're sure to have even more ice by the tournament on February 11th, 2012. This is good news for both anglers and the community. The Ice Extravaganza is a worthy cause that yearly brings thousands of visitors to the Brainerd Lakes Area. The walleye fishing has slowed this last week with 2-3 fish an evening beginning the norm. Key depths have been is 16 to 18 feet. A shiner minnow on a dead line has been the best bait. The crappie fishing has been fair on most of the smaller lakes. The best action has been taking place in 28-32 feet of water. The crappies have been suspended 2-6 feet of the bottom in most cases, but will rise farther off the bottom once the sun starts to set. Small jigs tipped with minnows have been the best baits. A Vexilar is almost a must right now. The key has been fishing slightly above the fish and every school of crappies seems to be coming in at a different depth. The new boat is about finished. I got a call from Ranger Boats the other day and the boat should be in Minnesota by the middle of next month. My wife always says X-mas comes in February for fishing guides. (ha, ha)
Life is GOOD!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 1-23-12
Gull Lake's ice conditions have improved dramatically over the last five days. We found 16 inches of ice in the three locations we fished this weekend. Be advised! The ice conditions still vary widely throughout the lake. People should exercise extreme caution when venturing onto the ice in the region located north of Quarterdeck Resort and south of Sandy Point on Gull Lake. This area still had open water 10 days ago. An ice house fell through in this area over the weekend. The new snow makes everything look the same right now, so be safe. The walleye action has been good in 16 to 18 feet of water. The best locations have been the main lake points that drop off quickly into deeper water. We had five groups out spearing over the weekend and it was a blast. The houses averaged 3-5 fish per morning. The biggest pike last weekend was 32 inches. We also watched several larger ones swim through the hole. Give us a call if you'd like to try this great winter sport. Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 1-17-12
Gull Lake's poor ice conditions this year have caused the JC's Ice Fishing Extravaganza to be postponed. The new date has been set for February 11th, 2012. Hold on to your tickets. Valid ticket holders who are unable to make the rescheduled date will be given a voucher good for next year's event. It's too bad the contest had to be postponed, but there was a large section of open water still on Gull Lake as late as this last Sunday. There was a slim chance we'd have enough ice in the contest area by this weekend, but it was just too risky. The biggest worry was contestants unfamiliar with Gull Lake would accidently venture into the unsafe areas while traveling on the lake. All things considered, the right call was made. It's finally starting to feel a little more like January again. The temperature outside right now is -3 degrees. Congratulations to the Brainerd Warrior's basketball team. They defended Little Falls tonight 80 to 78. My son's buddy, Jager Hanson, sunk two free throws with just .5 seconds left on the clock for the victory.
Life is VERY Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 1-10-12
This year's lack of ice has forced us to find alternate locations for our ice houses. There just hasn't been enough ice to drive the larger trucks safely across the big lakes yet. The high temperature yesterday was 52 degrees, so I think we're still going to have to wait for safe ice. We were out on Gull Lake Sunday afternoon and found 12.5 inches in the first location we were fishing and then 9 inches in the second. The good news is the weatherman is predicting the return of colder temps for the next several days. Hopefully we can make another 4 to 5 inches before the big JC ice fishing tournament on Gull Lake. The walleye bite has been fair. The best action occurs around sundown and usually lasts for less than an hour. The crappie bite has been fair too. We've been fishing on several of the smaller lakes in the area. The best action has been coming out of the spearhouses. The last few groups have had good success with the eaters. (3 to 4 lbs) and Bob watched an absolute monster swim through the other day. Thanks for the calls. We're booked solid for the coming weekend. It should be a good time.
Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 12-30-11
I want to thank everyone for making last year such a great season. We look forward to seeing everyone in the coming year. The recent warm weather has put a damper on the local ice production. Several lakes still have open water.  The local newspaper had an article about the topic this week. The article's photo showed several large open water sections on Whitefish Lake. The photo was taken from an airplane just this last Monday. The article stated Gull Lake still had several open water sections too. We've been spending most of our time on North Long. I saw a small truck out on Round Lake today. I hope the owner had good insurance! The ice varies from 6 to 12 inches on many of the lakes that I've been on. The variation in thickness makes for dangerous conditions. I definitely wouldn't advise any vehicle traffic on the larger local lakes at this time. The family went to Red Lake this last week and had a great time. I just read what I wrote. It's 12:34 am and I can see that I'm tired. Happy Holidays to everyone. Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 12-21-11
We're making ice in the Brainerd Lakes Area but we still don't have much for snow.
I can't remember a year when we didn't have at least some snow for Christmas. Bob had several groups out spearing this last week. The darkhouse action was good on the days when the ice noise wasn't sounding like an episode from a Star Wars movie. (Bob's exact words) There were several evenings when the ice was just pinging, popping, and chirping. I can't imagine what it sounded like to fish in shallow water. The best spearing action has been found in 8 to 10 feet of water. The walleye bite has been good on Gull, Round, and Pelican. Todd was out the other night on Gull and found 8 inches of ice at the location he was fishing. Bob moved a couple houses to North Long on Monday night and found 9.5 inches there. I hope everyone has got their Christmas shopping done. I'm headed over the Alexandria tomorrow night to watch a little varsity basketball. The boys have won their last three games in a row. Let's hope the streak continues. Go Warriors!  Happy Holidays to everyone.
Life is Good!
JOHN