Brainerd Fishing Report: 12-29-13
Sorry for the long delay. I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday. We haven't been doing much ice fishing this year, until recently, due to the heavy slush conditions on the local lakes.  The ice conditions on the area lakes is still marginal. We were on Gull Lake yesterday morning and found 12 inches of ice in most locations but beware, we found as little as 4 inches in some of the slushy areas. Please stay clear of any areas where you find water on top of the ice. The walleye bite has been good. The best depths have been in 14 to 16 feet of water. The best times have been in the morning.
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 9-04-13
Where did August go? A big thanks to everyone who fished with us this summer! I can't remember a summer season when we took so many trips. The only down side was the summer flew by at a record pace. The good news is the fall walleye bite is on and it's been happening in a big way. North Long, Gull, and the Whitefish Chain continue to kick out the best walleye action in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Key locations have been just outside the edges of the deep weed line. Exact water depths have varied due to this year's sporadic weed growth. A good reference to start would be 12 to 16 feet on Gull, 14 to 16 on Whitefish, and 18 to 26 feet on North Long. Use electronics to search the outer edges of good cabbage beds on these lakes and you will be rewarded with walleye. The best baits have been night crawlers and redtail chubs on Lindy rigs. Don't be afraid to adjust the rig's snell length before abandoning any "non-biting" schools of walleye. We had several days where an 18 inch snell out performed the traditional snell lengths of 36 to 48 inches by five to one. My best tip would be to utilize several different snell lengths when fishing with groups and let the walleye tell you which one they prefer. The bass are still holding on the deeper weed edge on most lakes but don't be afraid to go shallow if you don't find them on the outer edge. We had several 50+ bass trips for four hours this last week and each time the location of the bass varied. The best bass bait was a weed less jig tipped a live minnow. Thanks again for such a great summer. Now it's time for fall. Better get the jig rods ready!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 8-14-13
The warmer weather has kicked the fish into another gear! The best walleye action has been coming from the Whitefish Chain. The majority of the fish are holding in 11 to 13 feet of water. The best bait has been night crawlers. Hands DOWN! Search wind blown flats for hungry schools of fish. The walleye have been in smaller areas this year but once you find them it's been game on. Use a floating marker to help stay on top of fish. We had several trips where staying within 15 yards of the marker meant the difference in catching a limit. You don't have to let walleye run very far when using a crawler. They engulf them quickly. Click the bail shut after 2 to 3 seconds and let the fish pull the slack out of the line. Use a long, firm, sweeping hook set and you'll be rewarded with solid feel of a good fish. We caught over a dozen 25+ inch fish this week and every one except one was on a crawler. The biggest walleye of the week was 32 inches. Sorry for such a short report. It's been a busy, busy, month. Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 8-04-13
Where did July go? With the exception of several days with 85+ degree temperatures last week, the start of August continues to be cooler than expected. Whitefish continues to kick out walleye and Gull Lake has improved dramatically over the last few days. The best walleye spots continue to be located on the outside edges of major mid lake weed flats. The minnow continues to be the ticket for putting numbers of eyes into the boat. The bite has been good over the last few days and limits have been the rule. Hopefully the warm trend will continue in the weeks to come. The bass bite has been good along the deep weed edge. Search out locations where the sand grass meets the cabbage and hungry schools of bass will be present. The best bass baits have been jigs tipped with rubber worms. Key colors have been motor oil and blue fleck. Remember to fish slow. The slower presentations continue to catch more fish than the faster ones. The big pike have been dropping out of the weeds daily with the warmer water temperatures. The biggest pike this week was 42 inches! The weatherman in predicting blue skies and highs in the mid 80's for the next TEN days.   It looks like life will remain Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 7-20-13
The Summer is flying by fast. The water is finally starting to heat up. It's been a cooler summer this year with below water temperatures but the fishing has been good. The best walleye action has been occurring on Upper Whitefish is 13 to 15 feet of water. Key locations have been wind blown points on main lake structures. The best bait has been a lindy rig tipped with a creek chub minnow. The best bass fish has been found on similar structures. The cooler water temperatures have piled the bass and walleye together. The big northern pike action has been slower due to the cooler water temps this year. Key locations have been deep water points in 20 to 22 feet of water. The best advice I can give this year is to fish slow. The cooler water temps have made fast presentations less effect. The fish are still located in traditional locations, but they are less apt to chase given the current conditions. The sunfish are active in 6 to 12 feet of water. The best baits have been small jigs tipped with panfish leeches. Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 7-04-13
Happy Fourth of July! The sunshine has finally returned to the Northland and Summer is in full swing in the Brainerd Lakes Area. The weather has been nothing short of unbelievable. With daytime highs in the low 80's, light and variable winds, and humidity readings at 70%; this is the very definition of Life is GOOD!  I can not remember the last time I saw this many days of  blue skies and sunshine. The water temperatures have finally broken the 75 degree mark on most lakes in the area and the fish have responded. The walleye are located on the second weedline in  12 to 15 feet of water. The bass have also pushed deeper and are located on the outside edge of good cabbage beds. The northern pike are still located in the weeds in 10 to 14 feet but should start dropping deep as water temperatures continue to rise. The best crappie action continues to be shallow. The bluegill are still spawning on many lakes throughout the area and are located in 6 to 8 feet of water. The weatherman in predicting blue skies and highs in the mid 80's for the next TEN days.   Life is TRULY Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 6-22-13
The best walleye action continues to come from North Long and Round Lake. The best locations continue to be shallow. The best walleye fishing is happening in less than 13 feet of water. Search for wind blown flats with newly emerging cabbage weeds. The late ice out has stunted weed development throughout the area and good stands of cabbage are in slim supply. Take advantage of the calmer days and search for healthy stands of cabbage on the largest main lake flats. If you find the cabbage, the walleyes are close by. Good lures have been small jigs tipped with a minnow. Drift likely areas until you make contact with your first walleye and then anchor. Fan cast the area thoroughly before moving on. The bass action continues to be shallow. The majority of the bass are relating to the shallow edge of the weed edge. Key locations are 6 to 8 feet of water. Good lures continue to be light jigs threaded with 8 inch rubber worms. The best colors have been blue flex and red shad. Remember to fish slow. The recent sun has been warming the shallows, but water temperatures are still behind most years. The good news has been the recent weather. The last five days have been absolutely beautiful. The fishing should only get better in the weeks to come. Happy Fourth of July!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 6-12-13
The fishing action is heating up in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Water temperatures are in the high 60's on many local lakes. (It's about time!) The best walleye action has been happening on North Long and Round Lake. Key water depths have been 10 to 14 feet. The walleye have been feasting on the spawning shiners. Search out large shoreline structures that extend well out into the lake. These are prime shiner spawning locations. The walleye have been even shallower on windy days. The best bait has been an 1/8 oz jig tipped with spot tail shiner.  The crappie action has been strong on most local lakes. The best locations have been shallow. Search through the newly emerging reeds on the calmer days. It takes a little work, but you'll be amazed when you find the fish. The best crappie lures have been small tube jigs suspended below a casting bubble. Fan cast likely areas on the windier days and then anchor when you make contact with your first decent sized crappie. The crappie are grouped up now. Find one and you've found a bunch. Keep the 9 to 11 inchers for the frying pan and let the larger females (12+ inchers) go for seed. The smaller ones taste better. The bass are in the shallows. The inside weed edge is where the action is at. Don't be afraid to crawl up into 5 to 7 feet of water. There's far more bass relating to the inside edge right now than the second weed line. The best lures have been 1/8 oz jigs tipped with rubber worms. Make sure the jig has a stout hook with a large shank. There's nothing worst than hooking a 5 lb+ bass and then have the hook straighten out because you were using a light wire hook.  Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 5-29-13
The daytime walleye bite has been spotty. The deep hole near Zorba's restaurant has been producing the most walleyes during the daytime hours. The hole is located in the Narrows of Gull Lake just north of the bridge on county road 77. The best times have been between 5:30 am and 10:30 am. The hole is within 100 yards of the public access on the north end of Gull and consistently produces good numbers of walleyes each spring. The best bait for fishing the hole is a lindy rig tipped with a spot-tail shiner. The best walleye action has been occurring after sunset on Gull Lake. Long line trolling in 6 to 8 feet of water with a floating Rapalas has been the most effective technique. The best speeds have been 1.3 to 1.5 mph. Good lure colors have been blue/silver, black/gold, and black/silver in sizes 11 & 13. The largest underwater bars on the main lake have been producing the most action. Look for structures which connect to the shoreline and then extend well out into the lake. The best bars will have huge sections of 2 to 4 feet of water. The edges of these large "table tops" are where the walleye are being caught. The wind blown sides have been the best. Bring on the summer. I'm ready for a little heat.
Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 5-23-13
Local water temperatures have been cooler than we would like to see this late in May, but hopefully the weatherman will help us out in the weeks to come. There was frost on the ground this morning. I can't remember the last time I saw frost the day before Memorial Day Weekend. The local crappie fishing has been strong the last week, especially before the recent cold snap. The cold front pushed most of the crappie schools out of the shallow water and back to the first break. Key locations have been in 6 to 8 feet of water. Small jigs suspended below casting bubbles have been accounting for the majority of the fish. The walleye action on Mille Lacs has been great. The majority of the walleyes are holding on the sand in 12 to 14 feet of water. Numbers and size has been the rule for the last 10 days.  Keep thinking those WARM thoughts. It will be June soon.
Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 5-13-13
Bring on the heat. The weatherman is predicting a high temperature in the upper 80's tomorrow. The best news is he is predicting four more days in the upper 70's after that. We could use a whole week of it. There's still a bunch of ice around, but its going fast. Pelican, Gull, and the Whitefish Chain still are 90% ice covered. The only open water areas on these lakes are in their upper reaches. The best walleye action is coming from current areas. Casting from anchored locations into 2 to 4 feet of water with small swim baits is accounting from the majority of the walleye we are catching. The best retrieve has been slooooow. The local crappie bite has been slow too. This should change with this week's predicted heat wave. Search out small backwater areas which heat up quickly. The best locations will have mud bottoms. Keep thinking those WARM thoughts.
Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 5-06-13
The 2013 walleye opener is rapidly approaching. Too bad the local lake ice didn't get the message. It's going to be close this year, but I think the majority of the area's ice will be gone on all but the biggest lakes by this Saturday. The good news is the weatherman has predicted highs in the mid 70's for the next several days. There's also a good chance for measurable rain on Wednesday. This would be a bonus. Nothing eats the ice off a lake quicker than a nice warm spring rain. The Ranger boat is really to go. Think WARM thoughts and think of Spring.
Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 4-18-13
The weather hasn't been cooperating this spring in the Brainerd Lakes Area. We currently have 12+ inches of snow on the ground and there's another weather system moving in tonight. The prediction is another 6 to 8 inches of snow accumulation before the storm ends. The good news "might" be here next week. The weatherman is calling for highs in the 50's by midweek.. The key will be the lows at night. The ice will start disappearing fast once the evening lows stay above 40 degrees. The panfish action is starting to pick up throughout the region. Key locations have been 9 to 12 feet of water near good healthy stand of cabbage weeds. If you can find good, green, healthy cabbage right now. The panfish will be close by. Today is the start of the first turkey season in Minnesota. It sure doesn't seem like spring, but look on the bright side. We won't have to worry about wood ticks for a little while. :)
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 3-28-13
I can't believe it's been almost two months since my last fishing report. Local ice conditions have kept me from ice fishing since late February. The 30+ inches of extremely wet snow we received over the period has caused tough conditions throughout the area. There's currently 1 to 3 inches of standing water beneath the snow on most lakes. I must be getting older, or wiser, because the slush has kept even me from thinking about ice fishing. It's not a pretty sight when your snowmobile hits one of those wet spots!  I've spent the majority of my free time watching my son's high school basketball team. What a season! The Warriors finished the year with a 28-2 record and a trip to the state tournament. Go Warriors!! Today's forecast calls for highs in the lower 40's. Hopefully the trend will continue. With basketball over, and almost three weeks without catching a fish, I think I'm starting to go through withdrawals :) :)
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 1-31-13
The temperatures have turned bitter cold throughout the Brainerd Lakes Area. The weatherman says we can expect the lows to drop down to -27 degrees F tonight. I don't know what the current temperature is outside, but I can tell it's getting pretty cold when I can start hearing the sound of the rafters of the house shrinking due to the cold weather. The beginning of the week was warm and fogging. We had several days with temps in the mid-thirties. Those days are now just a pleasant memory. Kyle and Bob took advantage of the warmer temps and moved a few darkhouses to a new breakline they've been wanting to try. The work was hard, but their determined efforts paid off big time. The last two days have been fantastic in the spear shacks. The last two groups reported seeing multiple pike in the mid to upper thirty inch range, plus an abundant number of smaller pike, each day. The weather always seems a little warmer outside when the big pike are swimming through the hole. Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 1-04-13
Last week's cold snap increased the local ice thickness to 11+ inches on most lakes. I watched several cars and light trucks driving on the north end of Gull Lake over the weekend, but I'm planning to wait until tomorrow before I test my luck. The walleyes have been active on Round, North Long, and Gull Lake. The best numbers have been coming from Round, but these fish have been on the smaller side. Gull has been producing the best fish in 16 to 22 feet of water. Todd was out over the weekend and put a beautiful 30 inch walleye on the ice. The best technique for catching old "marble eyes" has been light jigging. I must emphasize "light" while jigging. Don't over work the lure. Jig slowly until a walleye appears on the depth finder and then slowly raise the lure several inches above the fish and quiver it. When the walleye rises to the lure, wait a second or two. If the fish doesn't strike, raise the lure a few inches higher. If the fish starts to rise, drop the lure slowly back to the fish. This technique results in a strike 90% of the time. The spearing has been good. What we've lacked in numbers has been replaced with size this year. Most customers are seeing several 30 inch+ pike each day. We'll keep you posted. Life is Good!
JOHN