Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-28-25
The forecast is looking good for this weekend's JC's Ice Fishing Extravaganza. With daytime highs in the mid-teens, it is a welcome change from last Saturday's high of -18 degrees. The toughest choice for anglers this weekend will be deciding whether to fish for walleye, pike, or tullibee. It typically takes a walleye or a pike to win the contest. The best location for pike is on the northern edge of Polk's Flat in 9 to 14 feet near good cabbage weeds. A dead sucker on a quick-strike rig is always a good option. Most of the walleye will be deeper by the time the contest starts at noon on Saturday. Key daytime walleye locations have always been deepwater basin areas adjacent to major points and spines that extend into deeper water. The southwest and western edge of Polk's are good locations. The best daytime walleye depths are typically 30 to 40 feet. Set-Line combos tipped with a shiner minnow and a bobber have won many trucks for lucky anglers over the years. There is a good number of tullibees present in the tournament area on Gull Lake. These oily critters like to roam the lake basin in 35 to 60 feet of water, usually suspended 15 to 30 feet off the bottom. Their average weight is slightly over a pound. They won't win you a truck, but they are guaranteed to win a prize. There have been many ATVs and ice houses won with tullibees. Small teardrops tipped with waxies or maggots are the best baits. Good luck on the ice this weekend. We will see you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-22-25
The frigid temperatures have returned to the Brainerd Lakes Area. Most schools were closed due to the bitter cold weather. Lows in the -20 to 30's are expected this weekend. The fishing was good this past week. The crappies are still in the shallows. Key locations are any holes or depressions located inside of good stands of cabbage weeds. Glow jigs tipped with small crappie minnows are still the best baits. The bite has moved later in the evening. The walleye action was good on tip-ups. The best locations were just outside the weed edge, as well as within the weeds. The best depths were 12 to 16 feet. Shiner minnows were the best baits. The pike were equally active on the tip-ups. The largest one of the week was 41 inches. The sunfish have also been good in 9 to 14 feet. Small teardrops tipped with waxies have been the most effective baits. We will just have to wait and see what this cold snap does to the bite. The good news is there is more than enough ice for this year's JC's Ice Fishing Extravaganza on Gull Lake. There are currently 12 to 17 inches throughout the lake. Give us a call if you're thinking about getting out in a boat with one of our fishing guides this summer. Last year's guide rates will apply to all guided fishing trips booked before March 1st, 2026. Stay warm. See you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-12-26
Last week's warm-up might have been good for the bite, but it did not help the local ice conditions. Several ATVs fell through the ice on North Long. A couple of vehicles went through on Pelican, and there was also an unverified report of one falling through on Gull Lake, too. Anglers should steer well away from current areas, points, narrows, and backwater areas at this time. The walleye bite has been good in the evening. Prime time is 45 minutes before sundown until 30 minutes after. The best locations are shore structures with good weeds present. The best depths have been 14-18 feet. Set lines and jigging methods are equally effective. The crappie bite remains strong. The best locations are still depressions in stands of good cabbage weeds. The best bite has shifted to well after sundown. Glow jigs tipped with small minnows are still the best baits for putting some fish on the ice. There were several big pike caught this past week on tip-ups. The mornings have been the best, but midday has also been effective. Large suckers have been the ticket. Give us a call if you are looking to get out on the ice and have some fun. See you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-04-26
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. Small glow jigs tipped with crappie minnows have been the most effective bait. The walleye bite was good last week, but ice conditions were sketchy on parts of Gull and Pelican. The safest travel has been on the smaller lakes in the area. The pike have been active in the mornings and late afternoon. Tip-ups baited with sucker minnows have been extremely effective. 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. Most of the snow on the area lakes has all but disappeared, and we are making good ice every night. Feel free to give us a call if you are looking to get out on the ice. We still have a few openings for the next couple of weeks. Happy New Year! See you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 12-18-25
The walleye fishing has been good this past week. Warmer conditions allowed for increased foot traffic on area lakes. Most of the smaller lakes have 6 to 11 inches of ice, with the larger ones having 5 to 7 inches. The biggest surprise has been the jumbo perch. They have been mixed in with the walleye. Key locations have been the first break on the edge of good weeds. Active jigging with spoons tipped with minnows was the best bait. The crappie action remains strong throughout the area. The two best locations are deep basin areas with mud bottoms and sandy spots, or holes, inside of good cabbage beds. Glow demons tipped with a crappie minnow have been effective. We still have a few fish house openings left for the Christmas period, but they are starting to fill up on some of the prime weekends. Give us a call if you have any questions or wish to book a trip. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. See you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 12-12-25
The colder temperatures have returned to the Brainerd Lakes area and we are making good ice. Most of the smaller lakes are seeing good foot and ATV traffic. The crappie bite has been good. Key water depths have been in 12 to 16 feet of water on lakes with good weeds. Small glow jigs in chartreuse and neon pink colors have been effective baits when tipped with small crappie minnows. The walleye bite has been good too. 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