Brainerd Minnesota Fishing Reports

Brainerd MN Fishing Report


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Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 02-13-25
Bitter cold temperatures slowed the walleye bite this past week. Lows reached minus 15 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit, creating challenging ice fishing conditions.The good news was the crappie bite remained good throughout the week. The best times have shifted to later in the evening. Key locations are still depressions near good stands of cabbage weeds. Active jigging has become less productive than bobber presentations. The jumbo perch population has exploded in the Brainerd Lakes Area. The perch have finally realized zebra mussels are good to eat and the lakes are full of them. The result is monster perch in many lakes throughout the area. We first noticed this two years ago and it seems the trend is continuing. I have not seen perch sizes like this since the late eighties.
JOHN


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Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 02-07-25
The walleye action remained slower this past week which is typical for this time of year. We have one month left of ice house rentals for this season. Thanks for all the calls. The crappie action has been good this past week but the bite has been occurring later and later in the evenings. Small tear-drops tipped with waxies or smaller crappie minnows have been the best baits. The best locations have been shallower, 10 to 14 feet, near good stands of healthy green cabbage weeds. The bigger sunfish have become active this past week. They are mixed in with the crappies. Use a spring bobber to float super small when fishing panfish at this time of year. Their bites are notoriously soft. The big pike are becoming more active with each passing week. Bigger suckers, even if they are dead, are effective baits on tip-ups for these toothy monsters.
JOHN


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Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-30-25
The colder weather has slowed the walleye bite in the Brainerd Lakes area but we are still catching a few in the evenings on set lines. Small shiner minnows are still the best baits. The larger pike have been active lately in the shallows. Key water depths have been 12 to 16 feet. Large sucker minnows on tip-ups have been the best tactic. We also have caught a few big gators accidentally while fishing crappies. It seems like every good school of crappies has one or two pike hanging close by. They are just waiting for a crappie to get distracted while feeding and grab an easy meal. The JCs fishing tournament is a go. Contestants should try catching cisco if they want to make it on the leaderboard. There are a bunch out there right now. Stay warm.
JOHN


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Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-21-25
The crappie bite remains strong in the Brainerd Lakes area. Good numbers with size are being caught in depression areas near good stands of cabbage weeds. The best bite has been shifting to later in the evenings. Small glow jigs tipped with crappie minnows have been the most effective bait. The panfish bite has been good too this last week, especially on the days when we saw milder temperatures. This allowed anglers to jump from hole to hole searching for active fish. Key locations are near good weeds in 6 to 9 feet of water. Small tear-drops tipped with waxies have been effective. Some big walleyes have been caught this past week, and most have been taken on set lines tipped with shiner minnows. The northern pike action was excellent this past week. There was a bunch of nice fish cruising the shallows in 10 to 14 feet on the days when we saw the mildest temperatures. Button up and stay warm. It sounds like the frigid temperatures will be returning this weekend. Other than a few big ice ridges, most lakes have enough ice for safe ice travel. Check uncharted areas in the daylight before venturing across the ice at night. Gull, Round, and North Long all have big pressure ridges shattered on them. See you next week.
JOHN


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Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-14-25
The ice conditions continue to improve on the local lakes in the Brainerd area. Gull la lake has 10 to 12 inches while smaller lakes have 14 to 17 inches. There are several big ice heaves on many of the larger lakes due to limited snow cover. Off-road ice travel during low light conditions is not advised in unknown areas at this time. The crappie bite remain strong throughout the area. Key locations are 12 to 16 feet on lakes with good weed cover and 22 to 26 feet on most smaller lakes with mud bottom basin areas. The Northern Pike action has been good in 10 to 14 feet of water. Tip-ups tipped with sucker minnows have produced the best results. The best walleye action has been occurring near sundown. Key depths have been 14 to 18 feet. Set-line presentations have been out producing active jigging this past week. See you next week.
JOHN


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Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-07-25
Happy New Years! The colder temperatures have returned to the Brainerd Lakes area and we are making good ice. We currently have all of the fish houses out on the ice. The crappie bite has been good both in the mornings and evenings. Key water depths have been in 12 to 16 feet of water on lakes with good weeds and 28 to 32 feet on small lakes with mud basin areas. Small glow jigs in chartreuse and neon pink colors have been effective baits when tipped with small crappie minnows. The walleye bite has been fair. The bite window has been short with the most action happening at sundown. Give us a call if you are interested in booking an icehouse. We still have openings on several weekends but some weekends are already booked up. See you next week.
JOHN


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Brainerd Guide Service:

Our fishing guides can meet you at your resort, hotel, or pick up at your dock. We are insured, use top quality equipment and fish over 35 lakes in the Brainerd Lakes Area including: Gull Lake, Pelican Lake, Whitefish, North Long, and Mille Lacs. will provide everything needed for a great day of fishing. All you'll need is a valid Minnesota fishing license, some snacks, refreshments, and we'll take care of the rest.


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Let's Go Fishing!

We've been fishing the Brainerd Lakes area for over thirty years. The region has over 100 lakes located within 30 miles. The region offers anglers the opportunity to catch walleye, bass, musky, northern pike, and crappie all summer long. Our Brainerd fishing guides will provide everything necessary; (boat, gas, live bait, fishing rods, fish cleaning, etc.), for a great day of fishing. We offer 4, 6, and 8 hour fishing trips to suite your needs. We can pick you up from your hotel, resort dock, or cabin. Learn more about the services your Brainerd fishing guides will provide by clicking