Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 06-16-23
The walleye bite has started to improve again after last week's cold front is now in the rearview mirror. The best water depths have been 14 to 17 feet just outside the weeds. Slip bobbers tipped with leeches remain the best tactic. The crappie have dropped to the outer weed edge on most lakes in the area. Beetle spins and paddle tail jigs have been extremely effective on overcast days. The bass action has been good. Key locations are the deeper weed edge. More and more bass are dropping deeper as the summer sun continues to climb higher in the sky. Jig/worm combos have been good lure choices. Blue-flex and crawfish were the best colors this week. The big pike are on the move. More and more are showing up on the weededge. The pike action should only improve as the water temperatures continue to climb. The new puppy is going to be a good one. We look forward to seeing how she progresses in the weeks to come. The Fourth of July is coming up fast. It is hard to believe how quickly summer is flying by. See you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 06-08-23
A big cold front moved into the Brainerd Lakes Area this week and slowed down the walleye bite but Gull, Pelican, and Edwards had been producing numbers of walleyes before it happened. I am sure the bite will return in the very near future. Key water depths for walleyes have been 12 to 14 feet. Slip bobbers with leeches has been the best technique. The bass action is improving by the day. Most bass are currently holding on the backside of the weed edges in 6 to 8 feet of water. Jig/worm combos continue to be effective along with Ned rigs and other plastics. The key right now is to keep bait action to a minimum. Slow retrieves with frequent pauses outfish faster techniques. The water temperatures are rising but still haven't hit the 75 degree mark on most lakes. Motor oil, blue-flex, and crawfish have been good colors. The larger pike are starting to show up in greater numbers. Key locations are just outside the weeds in 12 to 16 feet. A jig/minnow combo has been the best bait. More and more the gators will start showing up outside the weeds as the water continues to warm. The crappies are still holding on the second weededge. Small beetle spins dragged over the tops of the cabbage has been an effective tactic. The sunfish are still spawning. Our new little pointer puppy is going to be a good one. She keeps improving by the day. The trails at the new VRBO are now finished. They really turned out nice. We have been taking the dogs out there daily to run in the evenings. Life is good. It will be the Fourth of July before we know it. Get the yard work done. The summer will be over before we know it. Now is the time to go fishing.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 05-31-23
The water temperatures continue to rise in the Brainerd Lakes Area. The crappies were only in the pencil reeds this spring for 3 to 4 days before moving out to deeper water. The larger females are now holding near newly emerging cabbage weeds. The males are still guarding the nests. Warm weather patterns have been the norm last week with daytime highs in the lower 80s. The walleye bite was sporadic. Some days it was good and others days just fair. The mayflies are hatching on most lakes. The shiner spawn is over and most walleye schools have started to move deeper. Key water depths this past week were 12 to 15 feet. A jig/shiner combo stills works on some lakes but a leech/bobber combo seems to becoming a better option. Gull, Edwards, and Pelican were the best bets for walleye. The bass action has been excellent. Jig/worm combos have been the best lures. Black and June bug were the best colors. Most bass are relating to the backside edge of the weeds. Key water depths are 6 to 9 feet. The sunfish are just starting to spawn on most lakes. Life is good. Summer is quickly approaching. It is time to go fishing. See you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 05-24-23
The water temperatures are starting to heat up and so is the fishing in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Millie Lacs was good this week in 9 to 12 feet for walleyes and even shallower for the big smallmouth. Plastic paddle-tail swim jigs were equally effective on both species. The smallmouth are holding in 3 to 5 feet. Gull and Pelican were the best bets in the Lakes Area. The walleye were 9 to 11 feet during the day and even shallower in the evenings. There was a good evening bite on both lakes this week. The best tactic is still long-lining raps. Blue-silver and black-gold were the best colors. The crappies are starting to move out of the backwater areas. They should start spawning in the next few weeks. The bass are still shallow. Pitching a jig/worm combo in back-water areas will produce tons of fun right now. June bug, blue-flex, and black were equally effective colors. The new trails at the VRBO are almost finished. I have to say they look amazing. Get the yard work done. It is time to go fishing.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 05-17-23
The walleye have been shallow. Key water depths have been 9 to 12 feet during the day and even shallower when the sun goes down. The traditional jig & shiner minnow combo has been a great bait during daylight hours but long-line trolling with floating minnow lures has been the best choice after dark. The pike have been a little deeper than the walleyes. Slide shallower if you are catching pike but wish to target walleye. Everything loves a spot-tail shiner right now but plastic swim-baits have been catching fish too. The crappie bite has been excellent. Key locations are back-water areas with soft bottoms. These areas heat up quickly and attract tons of baitfish. Bass are utilizing these locations too. Catch-and-Release bass fishing is legal in Minnesota at this time. No bass may be harvested until the bass opener on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. The puppies are almost ready to head off to their forever homes. We cut and groomed 1/2 mile of beautiful walking trails at the VRBO this spring. Next year we plan on harvesting even maple syrup. So much to do and so little time. We will see you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 05-03-23
The ice is quickly receding throughout the area. Merrifield Bay on North Long is wide open. The western side of Gull Lake was ice-free this past weekend. The rest should be gone in the next few days. High winds helped to clear the lake of ice. Thankfully there was not too much damage on shore. The crappies have invaded the backwaters of many of the smaller lakes in the area. The muddy bottom areas heat up quickly and provide the first insect hatches of the season. The minnows quickly find the bugs and the crappies are not far behind. Some of the crappies are extremely shallow. in less than two feet of water. Small jigs tipped with plastics, suspended 12 to 16 inches behind a casting bubble are effective baits right now. Rootbeer, pearl, and white/pink have been effective colors. All of the local lakes should be ice-free this weekend. The puppies are doing great.They all have their forever names and will be headed off to their new families within the next month. The VRBO is really shaping up nicely. We spent the last weekend grinding stumps and clearing a few more trails. The maple syrup season was a success! We headed up with a little over eight gallons of finished product. It will be a busy week around here. Take care and we will see you next week. JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 04-20-23
It has been a weird spring. Old man Winter doesn't seeem to want to go away. We finally had some warm weather last week with highs in the mid-seventies. The snow piles disappeared overnight. Everything was going in the right direction and then we received 5 more inches of snow this past weekend. The landscape went from green back to white overnight. It winter is really getting old. The good news is the maple sap started to flow again. We collect 27 gallons yesterday. The next five days should be fabulous. Most of the small slews and swamps are open but the larger lakes still have a ways to go. We need a few inches of rain to have a chance of seeing open water on the big lakes before May. The work on the VRBO is going well. Greta had her puppies two weeks ago. Mommy and the pups are doing fine. They all have their eyes open now and they are starting to walk. It has been busy around here. Think of warm thoughts. We need all the help we can get with the ice. JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 03-12-23
Old man winter just doesn't seem to want to go away this year. We received 13 inches of snow yesterday and they are talking more by this weekend. It has been many years since I have seen this much snow in the Brainerd Lakes Area. The snow banks are getting ginormous. The good news is it can't last forever. "I hope". April will be here soon. The deep snow and slushy conditions have put a hamper on the local ice fishing action. There hasn't been much foot traffic on the ice. It's just too much work.. Snowmobiles are about the only effective method of transportation right now. The walleye and northern pike seasons are closed until the May opener. Panfish, whitefish, and eelpout are about the only game in town. The eelpouts have started to spawn and have been producing some fun action in the late afternoons and evenings. The crappie have moved shallower. The sunfish action really hasn't started yet. This should all improve once we get rid of some more snow. We have another litter of shorthairs on the way. Greta should have her pups sometime in the first week of April. The VRBO is really shaping up. Thanks for all the calls. We really appreciate it. Think happy thoughts of spring. We will be back in the boat before you know it. JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 02-26-23
The crappies continue to bite in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Key locations have been shallower with the best bite happening after dark. Glow jigs tipped with waxies have been effective baits. The walleye action was slower this past week. The best depths have been 24 to 28 feet. Most action is occurring in a 45-minute window around sunset. Set lines and active jigging have been equally effective. There are 12 to 16 inches of ice on most of the larger lakes in the area. Deep snow has made off-road travel difficult. There are still some pockets of slush under the snow but conditions have improved. The JC's ice fishing tournament is a go. The best tip is to get away from the crowds. There are some nice perch, 9 to 12 inches, in 12 feet of water with the catch of catching a pike. The other option is to head deep. The tullibees are cruising 15 to 20 feet down over 30 to 40 feet of water. Small jigs tipped with waxies are an effective bait. The VRBO is getting closer and closer to being ready. Have a great week.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-17-23
Last week's milder temperatures definitely increased the lake traffic in the Brainerd Lakes Area. With highs in the upper twenties, it made for ideal portable ice fishing conditions. The ice roads are still in good condition but yesterday's rain did create a few areas with standing water. The additional water weight has caused the lake ice to sag in these locations. Any holes drilled near these locations will just cause more water to push up from below and add to the problem. The crappie bite remains the best ticket for action. The walleye bite has been fair but inconsistent. The best walleye depth has been 18 to 22 feet. Set lines tipped with a shiner minnow continue to outproduce jigging methods. Most of our ice houses are now booked for weekends for the rest of the season. We still have some weekday openings if you are interested. The VRBO is taking shape. We now have the entire interior repainted. Now it is time to decorate. We will be posting more pictures in the weeks to follow.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-11-23
The local ice conditions continue to improve in the Brainerd Lakes Area. The deeper snow has made off-road travel difficult for most vehicles other than snowmobiles but there are a bunch of plowed roads on most lakes at the current time. The main lake of Gull is still a bit sketchy. We have found ice depths that vary from 6.5 to 12 inches. Those are not the best conditions for exploring. We advise checking ice depths on foot before dropping a plow and making a new road. The walleye action was sporadic this last week. One night would be good and the next night slower. Set lines tipped with shiner minnows have been out producing active jigging on most nights. The crappie action continues to be good. The trick right now is getting away from the crowds. Glow jigs tipped with minnow or waxies have been the best baits. We still have some openings left mid-week for the ice houses but the weekends are almost fully booked. Thanks for the calls, we will see you next week.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 12-30-22
Last week's colder temperatures really managed to firm up the slushy conditions on the local lakes. There are still a few isolated pockets to be found out there but travel conditions are much better now. We now have all of our rental houses out and we are catching fish. The best walleye action has been occurring a half-hour before sunset to a half-hour after. The best depths have been 18 to 22 feet. Active jigging techniques were producing the most fish last week but set lines have been matching their results this week. The best bait has been shiner minnows. The morning walleye bite has been good too but not as predictable. The crappie action has been good on most lakes. Key locations have been the deeper holes on the smaller lakes and sharp breaks that extend into the main-lake basin. The best crappie bite has been occurring one hour before sunset to a few hours after sundown. The crappies are willing to chase a jig right now. Active jigging with a depth finder is an effective combo at this time. The best baits have been glow jigs tipped with a minnow or plastics. The larger pike are patrolling the edges of the weeds throughout the day. The best activity has been from mid-morning to mid-afternoon.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 12-20-22
Sorry about the lack of fishing reports lately but we were totally overwhelmed with the irons we had in the fire this fall. I don't know how we did it all but we got the entire exterior of our VRBO cabin refinished, the interior of our own house repainted, most of the VRBO's interior repainted, a batch of pointer puppies raised, and a few puppies trained, all while taking a bunch of fishing and hunting guide trips. I'm getting tired again of just thinking of it. The good news is I can see the bottom of the to-do list, The bad news is the 17 to 18 inches of wet heavy snow the Brainerd Lakes Area got last week didn't help us any. The extra snow weight has caused the ice on many of the larger lakes to sag, resulting in water seeping up through any holes or cracks in the ice. Gull Lake has a bunch of standing water trapped on top of the ice right now, making ATV traffic extremely tough if not impossible in many areas. The ice conditions on the smaller lakes are much better. The ice was thicker on these lakes and could handle the extra weight of the snow. The current weather conditions are also in our favor. The forecast is calling for lows in the minus teens for the remainder of the week. This should help firm things up. Happy Holidays to you and yours. Thanks again for such a great year. Michelle, I, and the rest of the guides at Brainerd Guide Service look forward to taking you fishing and hunting in the year to come.
JOHN