April 24 , 2008
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
It was a great day up here today but unfortunately I spent a lot of the day indoors. But, yesterday was a better day! I was down in Lake City and bagged a 24 pound gobbler. Kent Blake road tripped down there with me and videotaped the days hunt. We will do some editing and see if Fleet Farm will let us play it at their Baxter store. It was an absolutely awesome hunt and one that will stick with me for quite some time. I just finished cleaning the bird and I am hoping that the neighbors have a smoker and want to take on the job, otherwise I will have to use my kitchen skills and make up some kind of recipe. If any of you have a good wild turkey recipe I would like to talk to you. My turkey season will have one more chapter and that will be when my daughter Alex hunts south of Brainerd in a couple of weeks. My boat won’t be here until the 7th or 8th of May, so I am glad that I have turkey to talk about. The lakes are starting to look a little weak, but they still have a ways to go before we are cruising the open water. Round Lake is looking like it should be going out in a few days, Gull should be about 6 days behind that. Hard to say for sure though. Wow are things going to get busy from here on out, I better start eating my Wheaties!

February 21, 2007
Fishing Report provided by:
Jason Erlandson
Now that the days are getting longer and hopefully the temperatures will be warming up we are shifting gears. Crappie fishing is our focus from now until the ice is melting and spring is near. Lately the crappies have been very cooperative, even through these nasty cold fronts that we are experiencing. The bite has been pretty easy to stay on top of. Most crappies are schooling up and roaming the deep basin areas of our lakes here in the Brainerd area. The most consistent fishing has been on some of the smaller lakes. Some of my favorites lately are Clamshell, Rice Lake, anywhere on the Gull Chain of lakes, Cullen, Sylvan, and North Long. Presentation for these hungry slabs is simple. All you need is a small glow jig or plain hook and split shot. Hang it under a bobber and tip the hook with a small spike, wax worm, or small crappie minnow. Typically the fishing peaks in the evening hours but lately we have seen some nice catches during the morning and daytime hours. We have even had some nice sunfish mixed into the action. The next month is going to be perfect for getting the kids involved with ice fishing. If the weather is decent get the kids out there for an hour or two, they will have a blast. If you are not sure how to get started with ice fishing just stop in at our store. We can get you pointed in the right direction. I love fishing walleyes but there is just something special about watching the bobber go down while fishing panfish. It is something I look forward to each year. Spring is coming soon so we will be gearing up for some fast action. Walleye fishing is right around the corner so stay tuned for all the updates and more FishTales from the Nisswa Guide Service.

April 8 , 2008
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
We did get walloped by the last snow storm but hopefully it will be history by the end of the week. The 8 or 10 inches that we did get is a good thing for the area lakes that need all they can get to start filling them back up again. We are still quite dry up here and it would be nice to get some of that water back into the system. I have been doing some traveling with Mills Fleet Farm as of late, and my last stop was Lambeau Field where Mills has their own sport show. It was an awesome site and I am hoping that I can make it back for the fall show. It would be worth the road trip, the lines at the registers were deep and there was a lot of product moved. I was able to meet a lot of people including John Gillespie. I think John and I will get together out in the boat this spring or summer and do a little fishing or maybe out in the woods after a gobbler. I have been thinking about the wild turkey for quite some time now and can’t wait for the season to begin. As much as I love to fish, turkeys take the cake at this point in the season. I will be preparing for the Minnesota fishing opener between turkey hunts and hopefully I will have my act together by the time the Governor comes to town. I’m just hoping that we are fishing out of a boat and not on the ice. My new Ranger 620 (courtesy of Nisswa Marine) should be here in another couple of weeks, hard to wait. For now, it’s time to focus on business and try to keep the wolves from blowing the house down. Have a nice week and I will be talking to you soon.

March 31, 2008
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
Hi. I hope you are enjoying the last day of March. It’s pretty gloomy looking out there and the weather experts are saying we are going to get so snow, how about that! We honestly need all the moisture we can physically handle. Mentally………that’s another subject. I am planning on taking a walk as soon as I am done typing this report, I am going to look for some sheds (deer antlers) before everything gets covered up once again. It would be a nice morning to be out on the ice, but I am opting for a little exercise as I look for some sheds. I have not been on the ice for about a week, but we still have about 3 feet of ice out there. In fact, I just took the kids to school and there was a pick-up out on the north end of Gull and there have been a lot of folks fishing pan fish on Round Lake. I am going to get out next week and it is my belief that the action is going to be hot. After a day or two of fishing through the ice next week it’s going to be time to prep for turkey hunting. I am getting very excited and I am anxious to use my new slate call that was made by “Flash”. I also tried out a few calls at Mills Fleet Farm last week and they were awesome sounding. If you are looking for the latest in outdoor products at a great price, I would suggest checking out your local Mills Fleet Farm store. I’m also getting pumped to see and then get out in my new Ranger 620 fishing boat. I just drove by Nisswa Marine and saw a load of new boats pulling into the parking lot. I don’t think mine is on that load, but you just never do know. Gotta go before the snow.
Have a great week and make sure to book your guided fishing trip now.

March 19, 2008
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
It sure is a beautiful day up here today. I am guessing that the last of the snow will melt off the roof today and then we won’t have to worry about slipping down the steps anymore. Yesterday I was at Mills Fleet Farm in Fargo and Fergus Falls doing a little employee training. It went well, and I was able to finish the day on one of my favorite pan fish lakes in the state. I was able to drive out and follow my G.P.S. cursor right to the spot where we did well last year. That makes me think of my wife’s favorite fishing saying, “you can’t fish on memories”. I drilled a few holes and soon realized the fish weren’t there. I starting looking around for pre-drilled holes from other fisherman and I was able to find a few. I was using my smallest Northland Forage Minnow jigging spoon tipped with a wax worm. I caught a lot of sun fish, crappies, 1 rock bass and 1 largemouth. I only kept 5 or 6 sun fish, but it sure was a blast and maybe I will eat them tonight. The landings on the area lakes are going to be in pretty tough shape, but we still have about 3 feet. The best pan fish action is yet to come, but make sure you play it safe when venturing out on the ice. Arctic Armor is always a wise choice, but especially this time of year when the conditions can change from day to day. Wow, Easter weekend this weekend? What is going on with this world? It sure does seem like the time is fleeing faster than ever! So, get out and fish before another ice season is gone! And remember, your 07 license is good through April.

February 26, 2008
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
The walleye, northern and bass season is now closed (as of Sunday). The walleye/northern season will open up on May 10th. Just because the "big fish" season is closed for a while, it doesn't mean everything is. Pan fish season is continuous, and the best action is yet to come. If you would like to schedule a trip it might be a good idea to get on our calendar now. We have all the equipment, so all you need to do is have a MN fishing license and proper clothing. Our last group outing was last Thursday when we had the Best Buy people out, fun trip. I was also out over night with my 3 children on Saturday night. We slept in my fish house on Gull Lake, something we have talked about for quite some time. It was an adventure, we had a fire and cooked hot dogs and smores. We also had the 82 Yamaha Enticer (snowmobile) out there with us and it was the biggest hit of the trip. If you are thinking of coming up to the area, give us a call and we will be happy to guide you to some pan fish. And we are now booking open water trips for the 08 season. Come visit us at our new shop in Nisswa.

January 25, 2008
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
Hi. We are finally getting a little clean up around the lakes area. A dusting of snow. It has been quite some time since we have seen the white stuff, it's kind of nice for a change. I was last on the ice on Friday evening and we ended up catching some walleyes. We (myself and the Cooks) set up the Sno Bear in 16 feet of water and had some pretty good action. It really didn't seem to matter what we were using, the "bite" was on. It's pretty fun to see them race up on the flasher and know that they are going to bite. The air temperature has finally mellowed out and it has been very comfortable when a person has to chase down a tip-up or just jig outside for the "prime time" bite. If you are looking for walleye action, you might want to key in on some of the points where there might be a bit of current. As we move through February, the walleyes will start to stage in and around their eventual spawning grounds. February and March can be some of the best pan fish months as well. I will be doing a few trips up to Red Lake later this month in hopes of rounding up some of the monster crappies. We have them around the Brainerd area as well, but it's kind of fun to get up to the big lake every now and then. If you are looking for the best selection of pan fish baits, head to the nearest Fleet Farm store and check out their ice fly wall.
Tip of the week: Take your vitamin C!

January 17, 2007
Fishing Report provided by:
Jason Erlandson
The old norwesters are testing us now. It has been a pretty mild winter up until this week. Now we are looking at temperatures in the single digits. It is definitely going to make some ice now. As we get ready for the big ice fishing Extravaganza on Gull Lake the conditions are just perfect. Lots of ice and hungry fish await the contestants. We'll be here all weekend at the bait shop to get people geared up and we'll even offer up winning strategies for free. As always we will have free maps of the contest area at the bait shop. With shuttle parking across the street from the shop it is the easiest spot to get to and from the contest. As for the local report, it has been good out on Gull. That is where we have spent most of our time so far this season. We have tapped into some tremendous walleye fishing along the weedlines. Some days are better than others but we are seeing lots of 15-18 inch fish with a number of fish up to 25 inches. Yeah there still are quite a few smaller fish that are mixed in but it has been one of the best winters in recent years for action and size. We have had good luck using Northland Buckshot spoons on our jigging lines. For our setlines or tip-ups we are using medium or large golden shiners on a plain hook. We have also been running into quite a few good-sized perch out there. It takes a little sorting but there have been some keepers. The crappie bite is getting pretty good too. For crappies we have been sticking to the Gull Chain, North Long, or some of the smaller lakes. Evenings continue to be the best for crappies. With the colder temps we need to be a little more cautious on the area lakes. A few bad areas are starting to show up on the lakes so be sure to check before you go. We have found between 10 and 15 inches of ice in most places. But a truck went down on Gull a couple of days ago so be careful out there. Time to bundle up and head back out there. Good luck everyone and be sure to stop in at the shop and say hi. Stay tuned for more fish-tales from the Nisswa Guide Service.

January 25, 2008
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
We are getting close to game time. The gun goes off at noon tomorrow for the worlds largest ice fishing contest. It is held right here on Gull Lake in central Minnesota. I will be there for my 17th year in a row, missed the first year and that has been it! I have caught fish during the contest, but haven't caught anything big enough to win a prize. The ice conditions are awesome and it is my guess that this will be the largest turnout ever, I'm guessing 13, 200 participants. I haven't put tape on the ice depth, but I would say we are around 22 inches or there about. I did a Sno Bear trip the other day with a few guys that are coming up for the "X" and we did a little scouting. We didn't come up with much in the contest boundaries, but did catch a few on a spot not too far away. The fish seem to be liking the set lines over the jig right now. My suggestion is to rig up with a slip bobber and a Northland Creep Worm (tip it with a small to medium size rainbow chub, shiner or rosy red). The key to winning this year will be the lucky t-shirt! They are $15.00 and you can buy one from us at the Sno Bear. We will be in the vendor area. We will also have some stocking hats, Arctic Armor, custom tip-ups, etc.. Call me today if you want to buy a rod/reel or a custom tip-up and we will rig it for you so it's ready when you stop by. Be safe on way up and make sure to stop and say hello. I will also be at the pre-party tonight at Grand View Lodge. It is open to the public!
Have a good day and we'll see you on stage!,
Quote of the week: "Grandma Olson Likes Rock Bass"

January 15, 2008
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
The weather is shaping up beautifully. It is 6 below at 5:20 a.m. on this 15th day of January and we are making some serious ice. The Extravaganza is only 11 days away, can you believe it is that close? Mt guess is that there are about 13 or 14 inches of ice out at Hole In The Day Bay and maybe more after last night. I think we should be at 20 inches or so by the 26th at noon. Do you have all your stuff together for the big day? I just got my new custom ice rods in the other day and have rigged some already. The others are for sale and if you want to buy one or anything at our new shop, swing on in and pick one up. We also have some "lucky", custom engraved and flagged tip-ups. These could be the hot ticket for the winner at the Extravaganza. Fishing on Gull and North Long has been pretty good, we had a good week last week and it sure was nice to be able to fish outside in comfort. But then again, when you have Arctic Armor on your always in comfort. We have a good supply in stock, so if you want the best ice fishing suit on the market come check it out. The Sno Bear is back in action, this is my 3rd year with this machine and I have been loving every minute of it. We charge $100.00 an hour for up to 3 people and if you would like we can fish more because it has a canvas portable attached to the back of the machine. If you don't know what this machine look likes, go to www.walleyedan.com and check it out.
Tip of the week: The Pack is back!

January 7, 2008
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
We are in a meltdown period. The snow is melting off the lakes and off of the snowmobile trails but we are happy that we are losing some of the insulation on the lakes. The 18th annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza is slated for the 26th of January and right now we need a few more inches of ice, this shouldn't be a problem with 19 days before the gun goes off. The contest is from noon to 3 p.m. on the 26th and it is the worlds largest ice fishing contest. We have been all over the lake and the most ice we have found is 15 inches, with 11 being the average. The forecast is calling for some cold this weekend, so it looks like we should be in good shape. I was out on a guided trip this a.m. with a fun group and will be headed back out again with them in a few minutes. We chased tip-ups around on the north end of Gull and need up with some walleyes and perch. We did miss a few too. It seems to me that the walleyes are preferring set-lines/tip-ups and smaller minnows versus jigs. If you are looking for Arctic Armor ("the suit that floats"), we have it at our new shop in Nisswa and we are offering a pre-extravaganza special where if you buy a set we will throw in a set of gloves for free. We also have some custom Walleyedan ice sticks on the way, pretty fancy!
Tip of the week: Pray for cold.

December 31, 2007
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
Good new years eve morning to all of you. I am here in Lake Shore having my first cup of coffee, slowly trying to motivate this out of shape body. I think I need to make a few resolutions this year and actually stick with them! As I sit here at the kitchen table and hack this report out I have the Sno Bear staring me down from the driveway. It will be back in action again this afternoon. I have a trip that should be quite interesting, 8 people (including kids). I am going to use the Bear, my Eskimo Grand Caravan portable and also the portable that is mounted to the Sno Bear. It should work well. I'm not sure where we will fish, but I think Gull will be the choice. I have fished Gull a few times, Mille Lacs a couple times and I fished North Long with the family yesterday. Gull is in good shape and the action has been O.K.. North Long was fun, we caught a couple of bass, a northern and had another broken line and a few other flags. The kids enjoyed it and we were only out for and hour and a half. Mille Lacs has been pretty slow, not sure if I'll be heading back there real soon. Everyone wants to know about the ice for the Brainerd Jaycees tournament. Lets just say it starting to shape up and we need to pray that we don't get another dumping of snow because that could really wreck things. The ice depth ranges from 7 to 12 inches depending on where you are at on the north end of Gull. When you are on the drifted areas there is going to be less ice. The forecast is calling for some cold air moving in, let's just hope that is really true! I will keep you posted on the fishing and the ice conditions, I have numerous guided trips coming up in the next week. Happy New Year! And I hope 08 is great for you, your family and friends.
Tip of the week: If you are looking for Arctic Armor, we have it in our new store across from the water slide in Nisswa. Stop by.

December 17
Fishing Report provided by:
Jason Erlandson
Happy Holidays everyone! We are starting to make some headway now out in this winter wonderland we call home. The folks that have been out on their snowmobiles have been in heaven. Over 12 inches of the fluffy white snow covers the area. Even though it can be a bit tough to move around I think we all love to have a white Christmas. The new snow hasn't made things the easiest for fishing in the area. It has somewhat slowed down the ice making process. This coating of snow has insulated the lakes. But overall it has been getting better by the day. Our winter ice fishing guides and avid customers have been out scouring the area lakes in search of walleyes and
crappies. They have found varying ice conditions. Most of the smaller lakes have approximately 6-9 inches of ice. While the bigger lakes have 3-10 inches. The toughest part is getting around out there. Where we have found good ice there is a lot of soft slush in between the snow and the ice underneath. Snowmobiles or foot travel is working the best. As we get some more cold weather it should all freeze up solid and conditions will improve. Then we can really get after them. So far we have had the best luck for walleyes on Gull Lake, and North Long Lake. Jigging spoons like a Northland Buckshot spoon is producing some really nice fish. 16-20 feet of water has been best for icing walleyes. Although the season is just getting started I have been hearing of a few limits of dandy fish. The crappies are going real well right now on the smaller lakes on the Gull Chain. Evenings are the best timeframe to concentrate on. We have had the best luck from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. Our guides are ready to go if you would like to get in on the action over the holidays. All you need to do is give us a jingle and we'll get you set up for some fun times. Be sure to keep checking back for more fishtales of the Nisswa Guide service. Take care and thanks for reading.

December 12, 2007
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
Hi! It's 2:30 p.m. here in Lake Shore, MN on the 12th of December and all is well. Everyone wants to know the ice conditions and all I can say is that it totally varies from lake to lake and from spot to spot. I have heard 13 inches and I have heard 3 inches. I suggest to travel by foot unless you are very confident. One of our guides has been out on Gull, Round and Mille Lacs. The fishing has been pretty good. I am still focused on the whitetails and will probably trade the bow in for a fishing rod pretty darn quick. Arctic Armor sales have increased since the airing of the plunge on KSTP television. CNN Money even picked up the story, gotta love it. We are running a special while supplies last. If you busy a set of Arctic Armor, we will throw in a set of gloves. If you are looking for Christmas presents, how about a ticket to the Brainerd Jaycees 18th annual Ice Fishing Extravaganza. Or maybe a Walleyedan custom tip-up, rod (open or ice) or a set of the hottest item out there, Arctic Armor. As the ice continues to develope, we will be there with updates. If you are wondering what to use for first ice walleyes, look at the Northland Rattle Spoon. Tip it with a minnow head and hang on!
Tip of the week:  Get your shopping done now, don't be like me!

December 4
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
The 8-12 inches of snow we received is going to make things "quite interesting". I am thinking that it might be smart to hunt a little this week and let the cold work on making some more ice before venturing out. Although, I might head out and fish a smaller lake or two that had some good ice before all the snow came. We just returned last night from the Ice Fishing Show at the River Center in St. Paul, it was a HUGE success. The Arctic Armor set-up was a success and it seemed to be the talk of the show, lots of interest from lots of people. And yes we did sell a lot of suits. This technology is going to change the ice fishing scene big time. Why wouldn't you want to have a suit that COULD save your life if the dreaded did happen. As far as the ice report, I am not sure what to tell you because I don't want to have you go out and get in trouble. I am going to check things out either this afternoon or tomorrow just to get a good grip on the situation. I am getting things situated as far as rods, reels, tip-ups, Sno-Bear, fish houses, etc.. Jay and Melissa Chaney are going to be getting most of my fish house inquiries, they own the shop where we have our new shop up in Nisswa. We are going to be handling the guide service part of it and they are going to do the rentals. We will be renting custom rods, tip-ups and a number of other items. Now that we are into the ice fishing season, we will be open on a more regular basis and we will also get you the updated reports on ice conditions as we get out onto the "safe" ice. I'm out to the little hill to watch the little guy do some snow boarding, should be
Tip of the week:  Be very careful!

November 19
Fishing Report provided by:
Jason Erlandson
It has been one of the best fall seasons for my family and our businesses. I have taken a little break from the computer lately to get recharged for the upcoming ice fishing season. The bait shop will be seeing some new things and I think we are adding some ice fishing guides as well as some rental houses to the lakes. More to come on that soon. Most of my time I have spent with my wife and our new son who was born in early October. It has been just awesome and I think things are starting to get into a normal routine if there is one. We have also been spending some time in the fields. The pheasant season has been one for the record books across the midwest. My most recent trip was capped off by a perfect point by our German Shorthair. My uncle and I were making our way down the roadside to a strip of thick cattails that we had permission to hunt when my dog just locked up solid. I signaled to my uncle to walk in and flush the point. As to our surprise to beautiful roosters exploded into flight. After two perfect shots the dog made two prefect retrieves. What a rewarding hunt. I have been hearing and seeing pheasants absolutely everywhere this fall. It is truly a great time to be a bird hunter. Recently we have also been spending some time in our tree stands chasing the elusive Whitetail Buck. It is prime time right now as the rutting season has started. We have been out a few times so far and we have seen some decent bucks but nothing huge. Patience is key. I passed on a nice 6 pointer that meandered on by me last Saturday morning. I hunt with a bow and arrow and he walked by at about 35 yards. Without practicing much this summer I didn't feel safe making a clean kill. Plus I am hoping that next year he may be a real bruiser. If he can only make it through the gun season. The rest of my family has seen some small bucks and a few 8 pointers. They also passed on their shots hoping for something bigger. I'll keep you posted as the season progresses. I have put the boat away for the season, even though it was a great one. We had some awesome fishing this fall. The winter season should be great. I found a few new spots I'm going to check out. That is about it for new news but keep checking back for the latest from the Nisswa Guide Service. The outdoor world is ever changing.

November 16
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
Hi everyone looking at this report. It's Thursday and the Brainerd Warriors are getting prepared to take on the Cretin (not sure of their school name) football team. We are going to head down and try to cheer on the Warriors, should be fun. This weekend is one of the Ice Shows down in the cities too, it's the Ice Frenzy show and it will be at the Minneapolis Convention Center (Fri., Sat., and Sun.). We will have a booth set up and we will have a good supply of both colors (red and camo) and sizes (xs-xxxl) of the Arctic Armor. If you are not familiar with Arctic Armor, check it out on our site. It is the "hottest" cold weather clothing to hit the market in a number of years. It is the ideal Christmas present for the ice fisher, ice sailor, snowmobiler, etc.. Come check it out! The fishing has been a little on the slow side, both as far as trips and the "bite". Tim Hanske was out last week and did put T.C.on a few big ones. I have been focusing on the deer. I have a large buck sized up, but I have been having a hard time finding the time to get out and get the job done. I am hoping to get out early next week and see what he and his harem are up to. My friend Jim saw him close up the other day and he said that the buck is a 10 or 12 pointer with a 20" inside spread. I will keep you posted on his whereabouts. We don't have much for ice up here yet, but it shouldn't be long now. If you are interested in coming up this winter to ice fish, give us a ring and we will try to set you up.
Tip of the week:  Pick a winner of a turkey!

November 8
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
It's 30 degrees at 8:36 p.m. and I am here at the computer with a full gut and a sleepy head.  It's been another long day.  I just returned from Nisswa after voting on the school referendum, let's hope we don't lose 60 teachers and after school activities.  I have been bouncing off the walls thinking about the rutting whitetails.  I was out tonight, it was my fourth time of the season.  I was also out last Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  The activity is starting to pick up, but I think we are still a few days away from the actual peak.  I saw 4 does tonight and I couldn't believe that Mr. buck wasn't in the vicinity.  It was still quite nice to see 4 deer that didn't know I was up in the tree.  The scrapes are showing up big time and I have also noticed some decent rubs too.  I will hunt again tomorrow in hopes of getting a look (close up) at the big one.  I was out fishing on Saturday afternoon/evening and then out with my son on Sunday.  The walleye's were a little slow, but we did mange to catch a few.  Donna, who was up here from Manhattan, NY caught her very first walleye.  She wasn't quite prepared for the Minnesota weather so we let her borrow Shelley's Arctic Armor and she was pretty impressed.  Congratulations to little sister Molly and her husband Chris on their new little baby William.  We road tripped down to the cities last night to see the new little one, I think we should nick name him Buck.  We'll I guess it's time to go rest the eye's because tomorrow is right around the corner.  The boat is not put away yet so if you would like to chase some fish, let's go for it.  Hopefully I get my deer fix soon.
Tip of the week:  Order your Arctic Armor this week and we will throw in a set of gloves.  Make sure you mention that you read it here on brainerd.com.

October 30
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
It's almost rifle opener and I have not even been out hunting (I am an archer). This is pretty sad, but I guess it boils down to being too busy to hunt. I've had a sick child, a 40th birthday party in the cities, a new shop that needs a little attention here and there and a few fishing trips mixed in here and there. I will be out towards the tail end of this week and I guess if it is any consolation, it is the best few days of the season. The "rut"will be cranking up and hopefully I will get a chance at one before the orange blazers hit the woods. I plan on fishing tomorrow with Pastor Dan, it should be good with the next front approaching on Wednesday. We'll see. It is my belief that if you want to catch some walleye's, you should look at fishing during the late afternoon/evening hours. I'm sure you can catch them during the day, but they will be pretty deep. If you are interested in looking at and or purchasing a set of our NEW Arctic Armor, give us a call or an email. Have you looked at the new video on our site? Go to the "Walleyedan's Story" page and click on the Arctic Armor logo at the bottom, then click the Arctic Armor in action link.

October 22
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
Hope all is well. I'm a little sore this a.m. after helping my brother-in-law hang a deer stand yesterday. Wow, am I out of shape! I'm afraid if I end up arrowing a buck I will have to quarter it out so I can get it home. Maybe an exercise program might be a good idea. I'm eating an apple right now maybe that will be the start of it, maybe. We are getting so close to the "rut" I can feel it. I am not prepared yet, but I will eventually get there. The clothes are hanging but I have not shot an arrow yet. Still busy fishing and we still have a few trips in the book. If you want to make it up for a last try, please call and we will try to put you on some walleyes. I was out most of last week and had some decent success. Our best trip was on Friday night when I fished with Shawn and Michael Holmes. We ended up with 9 nice keepers in just a couple of hours on the water. We were on Gull Lindy Rigging with big creek chubs and red tails. 27-32 feet is where we found the biters. Like I mentioned, we do have some open slots in the calendar, so if you want to wet the last open water line of the season give us a ring. Some of you might not realize, but we have moved. We are at our new location which is just west of the Holiday gas station in Nisswa (across from the waterslide). It's a nice, neat spot and we are looking forward to "good things". Please stop by and check it out. Our winter hours are going to be from 10-2 on Thursday's, Friday's and Saturday's. We will definitely come up and meet you at any other time if you are interested in looking at the Arctic Armor clothing line. We do have it in stock and the camo suit is unbelievable! Ladies, if you are thinking of a gift this is the best cold weather stuff you can buy. And it's not too expensive. How about a new custom Walleyedan ice fishing or open water fishing rod? How about a sweatshirt or a fleece hat? Come on in.

Tip of the week: This might be the week to get your last open water fishing fix!

October 9
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
Lots happening in the Walleyedan world. And yes, the fishing report hasn't been happening. I am very sorry for my lack of updates and I do realize this is something that many of you have followed through the years. I will be making "The Report" a priority from here on out and I ask you to continue following it.
We have moved our business. We now are operating a little closer to home, in Nisswa. We are on County Road 77 just west of Highway 371 (kiddy corner to the water slide). The phone number is the same (218-839-5598) and almost everything else is the same. The new location has a little more room and we are able to display our Arctic Armor line with room to try it on and check it out. We will also be carrying some other items including hats, t-shirts, sweatshirts, custom fishing rods, etc.. Our guide service will remain and will continue to be the core of our business. Tim Hanske and Toby Kvalevog are moving north with us and we are currently in the process of deciding who will be the next few Walleyedan guides. We are not quite sure what our hours of operation are going to be so please call before you stop.

Fishing has been pretty darn good. As you all know, "you just never know" when it comes to this fishing stuff. There have been days where I have had to scratch my brain and wonder what is up, but most days we have been finding fish that are willing to cooperate. We have been working Gull and Whitefish and it seems that we are still in kind of a transitional period with the water temperatures hanging around the 60 degree mark. When the temp slides down, the fishing will even get better (I believe). Lindy Rigs and Northland Fireballs have been the presentations we have been sticking to. Red tail chubs and rainbow chubs have been the minnows of choice and the depths where we have been finding them have varied (14-40 feet).

Tip of the week: Order your Arctic Armor today, it's not going to stay in the 70's much longer!

September 24
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
We have had some pretty phenomenal fishing but we have had some really rough days too. That is why it is called "fishing". We have been fishing Gull, Pelican and Whitefish. I was on Gull this a.m. and had a tough time. We have been catching our fish on Lindy Rigs and jigs fished in 15-38 feet of water. The weather moved in this afternoon and we had 12 or 15 guides out, kind of stinks when the weather interferes like that. Yesterday was the annual Walleye Alliance Tournament on Pelican Lake. My wife Shelley and I fish it and we were only able to weigh 3 fish (over 15 inches), needless to say we did not win. But, two of our regular guides (Tim Hanske and Toby Kvalevog) finished in the top ten. Toby was 10th along with his partner Dalen Hodge and Tim finished 1st along with his partner Dan Abear. Congrats guys! I think Tim and Dan had 13.94 pounds for their 6 fish. Hey, have you heard we have moved on out of S&W Bait? We are at our new location just west of the water slide in Nisswa. Same number, new shop. Come check out the new camo Arctic Armor, it is unbelievable stuff!!

September 24, 2007
Fishing Report provided by:
Jason Erlandson
Fall colors are nearing their peak here in the lakes area. It is absolutely beautiful. The shorelines are covered in red, yellow, and orange. The lakes are full of golden walleyes and the best part about it all is that the walleyes are snappin. We are slamming the fish on a daily basis. In between dodging the storms we have had some great days on Gull, Pelican, and North Long Lake. Fish are biting on a variety of baits. We have spent most of the time Lindy rigging with a redtail chub or jigs and minnows. It has been primarily a minnow bite but with the full moon coming I expect that the trophy walleyes will cruising the shallows at night. Perfect timing for trolling Rapalas. The hunting seasons are starting crank up as well. It is hard for me to stay focused this time of the year. So many things to do so little time. Check back again soon for more fish-tales from the Nisswa Guide Service.

September 4
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
Just got off the water and things are good. We fished Gull and found a lot of walleyes, the problem was that there was no chop on the water and the skies were high! But, we did still round up 13 biters so John, Jim, Pat and Deb could have a nice dinner. I kind of promised them a walleye dinner and thanks to the last spot I was able to make it happen. We caught all of our fish on red tail chubs and Lindy Rigs. The walleyes in Gull are starting to transition to the depths, we are finding them as shallow as 12 and as deep as 36 feet. School is in session and the fish are biting, it's a good combination. The guide trips generally aren't as abundant this time of year, but it's too bad because the fishing is usually pretty good. If you are interested in getting in on some late summer walleye action I would suggest giving us a ring. Is it wrong to pull the kids out of school for the day to go walleye fishing? Ask yourself, not me!

August 27
Fishing Report provided by:
Jason Erlandson
I’m recovering today after a pontoon trip yesterday with 16 people. It was a lot of work but it was a great time. With lots of kids on board we went chasing after the mighty sunfish. Lots of untangling and keeping a safe distance from youngsters learning to cast, I’m glad today looks a little slower. While most folks are thinking about the food at the state fair I’ve been thinking walleyes. We are starting to see a more consistent bite taking place out on Gull and Pelican. Really had some nice trips out there last week split between catching bass and walleyes. For the walleyes the Patterson group tore into them a few days with Todd. Lenny also had a nice trip on Gull with Roger from Lykins resort. Our guides have been trying a few different presentations. Jigs and fatheads or small redtails has worked pretty well for numbers of fish, for bigger fish they have stuck with a lively redtail chub on a live bait rig. The key has been to keep moving from spot to spot until you locate active walleyes. Windy days have been better than calm ones. We are starting to see a transition towards slightly deeper water. Some walleyes have moved out into 22-28 feet of water. It’s about time to go get a couple fresh walleyes for a fish fry. The next couple of months could be outstanding. The other end of our one-two punch continues to be the tremendous bass fishing that we have experienced this season. Pitching jigs and minnows to the weedlines has produced so many fish for anglers; the bass are starting to wear us out. Most lakes here in the Brainerd offer excellent opportunities to catch a bunch of largemouth bass. We are also catching a nice sized pike here and there on our walleye trips. The Whitefish chain has given up the most pike over the last week. Dragging a live bait rig tipped with a big redtail has worked best for pike. 25 feet of water seems to be the magic depth lately. I think I’m going to snag a corndog at the fair tomorrow, but after that I’ll be back on the water chasing old marble-eyes. Stop in to see us over the holiday weekend we’ll be in the bait shop most days. Congratulations to the little leaguers from Georgia, way to hit big! Check back soon for more “Fish-tales from the Nisswa Guide Service”.

August 20
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
At the moment, it's 60 degrees and drizzling. Kind of feels like a moist September afternoon. The fishing has been good, we are catching walleyes, bass and northerns on the area lakes. We have been spending quite a bit of time on Gull as of late, but we are also fishing Whitefish and a few of the smaller Brainerd area lakes. The walleyes on Gull are being found on the humps and also on the edge of the weeds on some of the larger pieces of structure (Grassy Point, Bow Tie and other areas). There are a lot of walleye in Gull right now! I have been using my new Aqua Vu Mav and have had a blast looking at some pretty large schools of walleyes. We are jigging and rigging, I think I will start hopping a jig around a little more this week. We have had an incredibly busy season and it looks like we will be finishing up pretty darn strong. If you would like to get on the calendar for fall, you might want to call ASAP. We have seen our first few sets of the camo Arctic Armor come in and out. If you would like to order, same program call or email soon.

August 3
Fishing Report provided by:
Jason Erlandson
It is early August now and fishing activity is at summertime high. Our fishing trips have been awesome lately. We have been fishing a variety of lakes here in the Brainerd area. Some of the best producers have been Gull, Whitefish, North Long, and Hubert, as well as a couple of smaller lakes. The bass have been jumping in the boat. Jigs and plastic worms or a Northland Weed Weasel tipped with a small sucker minnow is all it takes to fill the day with bass catching action. Most fish can be found hanging along the deep weedlines from 14-18 feet of water. The bass have been so aggressive that it seems you can get one on nearly every cast. The pike action continues at a feverish pace. Most of our pike trips we have tried speed trolling deep diving Rapalas or spinner rigs with a big sucker minnow. Many of these big pike are suspending out off of deep-water points. These are trophy sized pike so don't be afraid to use big baits. Be sure to hang on tight, when these fish hit the baits it can be ferocious. Once in a while these pike have ripped the hooks right out of the lures. It is amazing and fun. We are starting to pick up a few walleyes on our multi species trips. Lindy rigs tipped with leeches or redtail chubs are doing the trick. We have found most of the active walleyes feeding up along the weedlines in 14-18 feet of water on Gull or the Whitefish Chain. Most of the walleyes have ranged in size from 13-18 inches but we have boated a few from 25-27 inches. The crappie action has really picked up on Hubert and Upper Gull. Most action has been in the evenings. The bluegill fishing has also stayed very steady. There are always a lot of small ones but we have run into lots of pounders this summer. Medium leeches on a hair jig have produced nice limits of quality bluegills. We are starting to book up for the fall walleye run so if you are interested in going fishing with one our top-notch professional guides please give us a call. Great times are guarantied! Check back soon for more fishtales from the Nisswa Guide Service.

July 30
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
The moon is full, the surface temperature is at about 80 degrees and the fishing has been pretty darn good. I just finished up a trip with a family from our church and it was a short and sweet one. We didn't fish long, but the fish were active. And we were on Whitefish. We have actually been spending most of our time on Gull and the action has been good. We have been fishing all over the lake and catching walleyes, bass and northerns. Toby had a big northern day the other day, his boat caught 5 northerns between 30 and 36 inches. We have also been boating a few bigger walleyes too (up to 29 inches). Red tail chubs on a Lindy Rig has been the most effective presentation and it seems that most of the active fish are between 12 and 22 feet. I am heading out after the elusive musky on Tuesday and might try to catch a smally or two. Hey, if any of you readers out there think your pretty good at Buck Hunter we have a few guides that might give you a run for your money. So don't stop for lunch with them at Bada Bing or you might not make it home for awhile.

Have a good week and we might just see you on the water.

July 10
Fishing Report provided by:
Jason Erlandson
It is hard to believe that we are half ways through the summer. Boy has it gone fast. Last week was a whirlwind of excitement surrounding the July 4th festivities. The fishing continues to be outstanding. Lately we have been concentrating on the bass and pike bite. For bass it doesn’t get much easier than it is right now. One of the most productive techniques has been pitching mushroom jigheads and plastic worms along the outside weedlines.

Just about any lake in the area will provide plenty of largemouth bass action. We even hooked into a few smallmouths in the 17-20 inch range. The pike fishing has also been tremendous. For pike we have had the best luck on Whitefish, Gull, or Lake Edwards. Slow trolling a JB lures spinner rig tipped with a sucker minnow has produced some great days with fish up to 12 pounds. Seems like these bigger pike have been hanging out off the deep weedline in 20-25 feet of water. The walleye bite has slowed throughout the area. We have still had some good days up on the Whitefish Chain but everywhere else it has been tough to get them to bite. Most walleyes that we have found have been along the weedlines in 15-20 feet and it seems that they are biting on a few different things. Jigs or Lindy Rigs tipped with a redtail chub, jumbo leech, or a nightcrawler. The crappie fishing is picking up in the evenings. Try trolling small jigs and plastic tails in
10-15 feet of water. Upper Gull, Lake Margaret, Wilson, Bay, and Hubert are good options for crappies. The bluegill fishing has been very good this summer with lots of big ones being caught. Worms or leeches are both working on the big bluegills. With the nice weather it is a great time to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Check back soon for more fishtales from the Nisswa Guide Service.

July 1
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
Fishing in the Brainerd/Baxter/Nisswa/Cross Lake/Garrison areas has been really good. We have been mainly working the Whitefish Chain, Gull Chain and Mille Lacs. People always ask how the fishing has been and I tell them that everything is relative. Our customers have been pretty darn happy and I guess that says a lot. The weather has been nice, the moon is full and the fish are on the prowl. We caught some nice walleyes, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and northerns up on the Whitefish Chain last week, fun stuff!! Mille Lacs is still producing some pretty awesome fish as well. On the Gull and Whitefish chains', look for the fish to be in 16-25 feet of water. S&W red tail chubs are the ticket with a 3/8 ounce yellow Lindy walking sinker and a #2 Gamakatsu finesse wide gap hook. On Mille Lacs, leeches, crawlers and minnows are working. Spinners or straight "rigs" will both produce quite well. When the wind blows, the fish are quite active. If you are looking to book a trip, I would suggest calling Shelley right now. We are booking out quite a ways, so get on the calendar and we will try to put you on some hungry fish.
Happy Independence Day,

June 11/07
Fishing Report provided by:
Jason Erlandson
They always say you should have been here yesterday. Well today is yesterday in a sense. The fishing has been outstanding. We have seen some 40,50, even some 70 fish days this last week. That is pretty darn good walleye fishing no matter where you go. I'd even say it rivals Canadian fishing. Lately we have been spending quite a bit of time on Lake Mille Lacs. It has been a blast for our customers and for us. Most of the time we are catching them on the mid lake mud flats or gravel beds. A Roach rig or a Northland spinner tipped with either a leech or a nightcrawler is producing lots of dandy walleyes. Limits of keeper fish are common as well as trophies up to 8-9 pounds. The fishing has been good pretty much all day long. Mornings or afternoons, it doesn't seem to matter.

We have also been fishing Gull, Whitefish, and North Long. There have been mixed results but the walleye bite keeps plugging along. We have had to work a little harder at hunting them down. The fish are moving towards some of their summertime haunts. We have had the best success using Redtail chubs or leeches. Most of the walleyes we are catching on these three lakes have been hanging tight to the weedlines in 13-20 feet of water. When you find them do not be afraid to toss a maker buoy and work the area thoroughly. Sometimes it takes a second pass to get the fish to bite. The key is to work slow and let the bait just swim around in front of the fish's nose until they will bite. With fresh lively bait they usually cannot resist.

The largemouth bass action is really heating up here in the Brainerd area. They are starting to move up onto the shallow weed flats. Casting spinnerbaits is very effective. For colors I recommend anything with white. White is always decent in our clear lakes. Another great producer are the Slurpie tubes or Dip-Stick worms. You'll also find some nice bass starting to hang around boat docks. Area pike have been active too on many of the smaller lakes. Try trolling over the top of the weeds with a spinnerbait tipped with a medium sized sucker minnow. Don't forget a steel leader. Our pike have sharp teeth. The panfish are still active in 6-10 feet of water. Small jigs tipped with a crappie minnow, small leech, or any type of worm will keep you busy. Just keep moving until you find the motherload.

We will be fishing all week, but our guides still have a few openings on their calendars. So please give us a call ASAP if you want to get in on all the fun. I also will be adding photos to our website of recent trips so check them out. Thanks for reading and be sure to check in again next week for more Fish-tales from the Nisswa Guide Service.

June 7/07
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleyedan
Good morning,
I am off the water for the moment and it feels kind of nice. I am having my new live well installed today and that will make me a little more efficient on the water (pretty scary a?). Our fishing guides are ready to go put you on top of the lunkers, so what in the world are you waiting for? The overall "bite" has been good. If you are looking for numbers, I would suggest fishing Gull. Pelican, Round and a few other lakes in our arsenal have been producing some good fishing. Mille Lacs has been the best bet for big fish, what a fishery. If you book a full day trip with us over there, I would ALMOST guarantee you some pretty incredible fish. Some days will be better than others (yesterday was sucky). Today will most likely be good. The weather has been so wild, it really makes you wonder. We have been Lindy rigging with minnows around the Brainerd area and Lindy Rigging with leeches and crawlers over on Mille Lacs. Call Shelley today and book one of our professional guides.

Tip of the week: Give thanks to God.

June 7/07
Fishing Report provided by:
Jason Erlandson
The walleyes were on the Chomp. We have been catching walleyes up to 28 inches, most of them measuring in between 15-22 inches along with a few smaller throw backs. On Mille Lacs we have been nailing them out on the Mud Flats on Spinners or Live Bait rigs tipped with a leech or a nightcrawler. It is such a blast when the fishing is this good. The time to get out there is now; it won't get a whole lot better than it is right now. On Gull the walleyes are a bit fussier. We are mostly catching them on a Live Bait rig and a lively redtail chub, but when they don't go for the minnows we have caught them on leeches or trolling with Rapalas. The key depths on Gull have been 8-17 feet. The night bite out there has been fantastic too. Another sleeper lake that has turned out some nice walleyes for our guides is North Long. Most of these fish on North Long were holding tight to the weedlines. Lots of hefty 17-20 inch fish were eating up Northland Fireball jigs tipped with shiners minnows. We also had lots of bass mixed in to our catch on North Long.

The pike fishing has been decent on a few lakes now as the water warms up. The Upper Gull Chain continues to provide steady action as well as Whitefish and Lake Edwards. A Northland Rainbow Spinner tipped with a shiner or sucker minnow has been a deadly tactic. We haven't seen many trophy-sized pike yet, but we have caught a few up to about 12 pounds. They can give us quite a battle. Lots of fun, that's for sure.

The bass fishing has been very good since the season opened last week. Leeches are working well along with small spinner baits or weightless Senko style plastic worms. Backwater bays or areas with bulrushes have produced some scrappy largemouths.

The sunfish are still very active in the shallow water. A small leech on a Fire Fly jig is my go to rig right now. The crappies are showing up now along the first weed edge. Thumper jigs and a small plastic tail are producing some nice slab crappies.

This action lately is what is termed pre-summer or summer peak. The fishing can be very good. So do not hesitate to give us a call. Our guides are on the water everyday so we have the latest info on where and how. Take care and check back again next week for more Fish Tales from the Nisswa Guide Service.

June 4 /07
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleydan
Hi. How's it going? Yes I realize that it's been a while since I have updated here, but I won't go into depth (it's too deep). We have been busy and with school letting loose, it's about to shift into another gear. We had a storm rip through the hood last night and the trees are still falling over form it (we just heard one come crashing down a few minutes ago and the dog went bizirk, I think she thought it was the big bad bear with a collar and a tag in each ear. He's out there, the neighbors have seen him 3 times. O.K., fish......they are biting pretty darn well. Gull, Pelican, Round and Mille Lacs are kicking out some nice "eyes". This a.m. was O.K., but last night and the night before we very good. The moon is full and the walleye belly's aren't (yet). They are chowing down on spot tail shiners and red tail chubs. Lindy Rigs and Jigs are both effective right now.

Tip of the week: Believing is seeing

May 21 /07
Fishing Report provided by:
Jason Erlandson
The first week is in the books and it sure has been a windy one here in the Brainerd area. But I guess its tough to beat mother nature. The nice thing is that the walleyes have been cooperating. Our guides have had some nice trips on Gull this week. I think the wind has spurred the activity level a little even though it has been a little tough to run the boat at times. We' ve found small groups of active fish still hanging out in 13-15 feet of water along the weed edges. We even caught a few casting small Knuckleball jigs and minnows. Most of our fish were hungry for a Lindy rigged shiner minnow. We are noticing that the fish on Gull have been pretty nice sized this spring, lots of 15-18 inchers with the occasional whopper. We have also been fishing Pelican, North Long, and Mille Lacs. It's been good on all of these lakes for the first week.

The crappie fishing is starting to slow down as they leave the shallow water. There are still a few stragglers hanging out in the bulrushes. It has taken a little searching to find them. Northland Slurpie Panfish Tubes are working quite well once the crappies are located.
The pike action has been fantastic on area lakes. We have never caught so many pike this early in the season and on many of the traditional walleye spots. It is always a fun battle when a 8-10 pound pike latches on.

Stay tuned to more fishtales from the guides of the Nisswa Guide Service. Give us a call if you want to get out this week. We even have a couple of openings for Memorial weekend. We'll give you latest reports again next week.

May /07
Fishing Report provided by:
Walleydan
The countdown is on. One week from this moment I will be chomping at the bit to hook into that first open water walleye of the 2007 season. I was out on the water last night breaking in the new Whaler Dauntless. I have had a number of people asking and wondering why the Whaler and my response is, "why not?". It handled the rough stuff really well last night and even though I didn't have any rods with me, I pretended to backtroll into the rough stuff without a problem. This new rig looks more like an "ocean rig", but what does that matter, don't they catch fish in the ocean? Our group of fishing guides will be out in force and most of us will be on the Gull Lake Chain. We have a group that has booked us for the past number of openers and it is a fun time. It is a glooming morning today (Saturday), but hopefully things will shape up by next Saturday. We did get some rain overnight and that is a great thing. We do need a few more serious soakers to get the water levels where they belong. Serious soakers! I have been a busy person, running here and there. Things are shaping up and it looks like we will have a very busy season on the water for all of our guides and then some. Make sure you look through this new website, it has a new look and although we have some tweaking to do, I think it turned out awesome.Our guide service will be in and out of S&W Bait all week long, so make sure to stop us and ask questions if you have any. Sherree will be open 24 hours on Friday and once again it is going to be a mad house. She has by far the best selection of live bait in the surrounding area, swing in and get what you need.

Tip of the Week: Make a check list for all of the things you are going to need for opening weekend. Don't forget to charge the batteries, run the boat, license the boat and trailer, grease the wheel bearings,.......

May 14 /07
Fishing Report provided by:
Jason Erlandson
The 2007 Minnesota fishing opener was nothing short of exciting here in the Brainerd area. We were greeted with perfect weather on the first day of the season. Did the fish cooperate? A few did. I'd say it wasn't fast and furious, but it was decent. An average fishing opener for the most part. We had guides out on a few lakes, Gull, Pelican, Round, and the Whitefish Chain. They all reported good fishing early in the morning. Once the sun popped out during the mid-morning the fishing slowed up a little. Another group of guides was fishing with the gang out of Lost Lake Lodge. 4 guide boats ended up with about 25 fish for the morning. Most boats were averaging between 6-12 fish for the day. Sunday we awoke to windy conditions. Many folks decided to head home after the long day on Saturday. The anglers that stuck it out did pretty well on Gull Lake. The action was considerably better on day two. One of our crew was out there and reported catching a boatload of chunky 15-20 inch walleyes. They even had a nice 25 incher that was released for the next generation to enjoy. Most fish are hanging out along the weed edges. We've been using a Lindy rig with about a 4-foot long snell tipped with a lively spot-tail shiner. The key is to drag it slowly along the bottom until you feel that tap. The walleyes cannot resist an easy meal. Well I just finished cleaning up the Warrior boat and re-rigged all the lines for a busy week on the water. Check in next week for the latest fish tales from the Nisswa Guide Service!

May 7 /07
Fishing Report provided by:
Jason Erlandson
The countdown has begun for the great Minnesota fishing opener of 2007. We are very excited, as this will be our 32nd opener here at the bait shop. We've seen some great ones in the past. I expect 2007 to be no different. The opener is one of our favorite times of the year. We get to see all of our old friends that show up every year and we get to meet a lot of new folks. It is a tradition like no other.

The crappie fishing continues to go pretty good, but each day seems to be a little different. Some crappies are shallow and some are just waiting to move shallow. Some days it is tough to beat a jig and Puddle Jumper the next day all they want is a Fire-Fly jig and a minnow. So it pays to try both. Sunnies have been going like gangbusters in almost any shallow bay. A small leech or wax worm always does the trick.

Everyone is asking where to go and what to use for the walleye opener. My prediction is that Gull Lake should be decent. It'll be interesting though, we might be surprised at where the walleyes are hanging out now after a later than average ice out. The best advice is to pay attention to the wind this week and fish the windward side of the lake this weekend. Shiner minnows are always bait #1 on Gull Lake early in the year. If Gull isn't going it can be tough to beat Mille Lacs Lake. There is a reason that Mille Lacs claims the title of "Minnesota Walleye Factory". Don't forget to bring the leeches if you are heading to Mille Lacs.

I hope that you'll enjoy my reports. With the input of the professional fishing guides from the Nisswa Guide Service I'll be posting the hot spots and latest news from the Brainerd area each week through the year. Feel free to stop in and meet Dave, I, and the rest of the crew here at Dave's Sportland Bait and Tackle in Nisswa. We'll be in the shop and our guides will be on the water every day from now until November. Good Luck during the big weekend, and check back next week for more of the Brainerd Area Fishtales from the Nisswa Guide Service.

 

March 28 /07
Hello. Just got done stuffing myself with lunch and it kind of reminded me of the way the crappies and sunnies were biting yesterday. I was out with a friend of mine and we had a blast. I have to think that I should end on that note and call that trip the last ice fishing trip of the season. What a trip to end on. If anyone is interested in open water pan fish trips, I will be game to do that as soon as we have open water. The rest of the gang will be game to do pan fish trips as well, so if you want to get a jump start on the season give us a ring. The fish we caught yesterday were in 10-20 feet and were all over the water column (from right under the ice, to a foot off the bottom. I have been using my Marcum LX5 more and more and I really like that unit. We caught our fish on Northland Forage Spoons tipped with minnows and eurolarvae. Our new brochures are hot off the press, so you should be able to pick one up around town. They turned out very nice. Oh, oh, I'm starting to get sleeping. Maybe I shouldn't have eaten so much. The Sportshow is on, are you going? I don't know if I am either. Maybe Friday, maybe. This weekend will be pretty borderline if you are thinking about fishing. Rainy River, you are fine, but if you want to ice fish I would suggest Arctic Armor and a flat bottom boat. It has been raining on and off all morning, the ice is honeycombing and won't last much longer. Still thinking about buying some Arctic Armor? Go to our store and take a look.

March 12 /07
The weather has been delightful. It's 36 degrees at 9:25 a.m. and it looks like it's going to be another sloppy day. We still have about 12 inches of snow but it's going fast. I haven't been on the ice as of late but I do plan on getting out a fair amount before the ice is melted. The Sno Bear is ready for action. This awesome weather is making me think turkey and it won't be long before they will be gobbling. We did a little target shooting yesterday and my daughter Alex took her first couple of shots with her new 20 gauge, she went 1 for 2. I did a lot worse. Have you ever thrown clay pigeons for yourself (by hand)? I didn't do very well with a falling pigeon. Good thing the turkeys will be on the ground. We are booking guide trips like there is no tomorrow (hard to say, maybe there isn't). If you want to get on the calendar, it might be a good idea to get your troops together and plan the date. Every year it gets a bit busier and we are thankful for that. If you are looking for pan fish in the lakes area, there are a whole slew of lakes that are good. I like the bigger lakes (Gull, North Long, Pelican and White Fish), they seem to produce the "big ones".

Tip of the week: FishOutsideTheBox.

January 25/07
We are at 4 degrees up here in Lake Shore, MN this a.m.. I'm very comfortable with the ice conditions right now, it's just too bad it took so long. The fishing has been pretty good. I have been quite busy with both my rental fish houses and with the guided Sno Bear trips. We have caught a few nice fish as of late. The guys from Ohio (Gary, Dan, Tom and Steve) brought in a couple of nice fish, I think the biggest was about 27 inches. The next day I had Tom and Joni Ward out in the Bear. We took a little cruise around the shore line to look at some of the homes, etc. before we settled in to fish for an hour and a half or so. Tom put it well "We don't even fish but we had to check this out". Joni landed a big walleye that night too (we didn't measure it, but it was between 26 and 28 inches). The biggger fish are being caught on Arctic Fisherman tip-ups tipped with large golden shiners. Yesterday a.m. we had Octane Fitness out on Gull Lake with the Bear and the Fox. Animal helped out, but we got a little late jump and missed the bite (1 walleye and some perch). The night before they had one of my rental houses and they had a couple of keepers. We have been focusing on the 30-40 foot zone. It's going to be another busy weekend up here, so hopefully the fish are still cooperating.

The 17th annual Extravaganza was once again a HUGE success! Thank you Jaycees and thank you volunteers. Tim Piehl of Baxter caught the largest fish of the day, a 4.91 pound northern which brought him home a Ford F150 pick-up. There were over 10,000 anglers on the ice and it was a great day. We could have done without the wind, but you can't have it all I guess. I thankful for the cold snap just before the contest. Our group was 2 for 12 (2 walleyes, 12 people). Perry and Cindy Bunting, who are friends of our caught the two fish in our group. I had a tip-up flag and lost a minnow, that darn Jaegermiester girl. Shelley didn't have a bite and either did Jeff and the Chicago crew. Arctic Armor? Yes we did give away two suits, Nate Humbert and Darin Osier were the winners (70th and 87th places). Congratulations guys. We still have a good stock of the Arctic Armor bibs and Jackets, so place your order today.

January 8/07
We made some ice again last night and things are really shaping up fast as far as the ice thickness. Where I have my rental fish houses on Gull, I have about 13 inches. We should be gaining on that by the looks of the extended forecast. We need 16 inches for the Brainerd Jaycees Extravaganza and it sure looks like it will be a "GO"! Can't wait, this is the coolest contest and the largest ice fishing contest in North America, you need to experience it. Tickets are for sale all the way up to the shotgun blast at noon on the 20th of January. Fishing has been pretty good in the area, but just pretty good. The "bite" seems to be an every third day "bite". We are coming out of the full moon phase and there has been a decent night bite on Gull. We are set up in 14-18 feet of water and are catching some nice perch and a few walleye's here and there. I was out skating by the houses the other day with my son and we decided to put a line down, as soon as the golden shiner got close to the bottom it was scarfed down by a 17 inch walleye (at high noon). I'm thinking we will get back into the twighlight bite here pretty quick. I was up in Longville the other night and we only caught 2 walleye's and missed a nice one at the hole. I was on Mille Lacs last night and we caught a 19 and a 25 incher. We also caught a true jumbo perch and another smaller perch. Garrett, a first grader from Sartell caught both of the walleye's on Arctic Fisherman tip-ups. We are also using Buck Shot Rattle Spoons and Jigging Shad Raps tipped with minnow heads. The Sno Bear has been busy, so if you want a cool experience, book now! The Arctic Armor is another hot commodity, we are placing another order today so we should be well stocked for the Extravaganza. Let us know and we'll set aside a suit for you. Have a nice week.

If you want to learn a few walleye fishing tricks and taste some too, come to the Northland Arboretum on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m.. Tickets are $10.00 for members and $20.00 for non-members.

January 1/07
Happy New Year. Maybe now that the new year is here, we'll get some cold weather. The temp here in Lake Shore this a.m. is 18 degrees and the extended forecast looks O.K.. Last week was pretty crazy and I'm thankful it is history. Between Sno Bear trips, fish house rentals and Arctic Armor sales I have been hoppin. The fishing and ice conditions are about the same, up and down! We had about 4 inches of snow on the ice before the rain on Saturday evening/night. I went out yesterday a.m. to take Courtney and the crew out to sleeper house and the lake was no longer white. Slush city. But now with it being 18 degrees, I would say we are back to ice. The Gull Lake Chain still has some marginal ice in areas. Our houses are on 10.5 inches of ice and that should be growing in the next couple of days. The walleye's and perch we are catching are coming from 14-18 feet of water and they seem to like medium size golden shiners. We are also catching some on the Northland Buck Shot Rattle Spoons tipped with a fathead head. Everyone is wondering about the Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza slated for January 20th. I think we will be good to go, it's just to bad it has had to come down to the wire these past few years. There are quite a few permanent houses off the 371 landing and I'm sure it will only be a couple of days before we see a truck or two out there. I have already seen people driving out on the west side of the lake with pick-ups and vans, not me yet. The Sno Bear is good to go, but not the truck yet. When we get a season like this it sure does make for more work, lots of trips back and forth. Have you ordered your Arctic Armor yet? We still have some in stock and will be ordering regularily, check it out on our "store" page. We also have some new sweatshirts in stock. We will need to get a photo of them up on the site, but haven't yet. Keep checking in on this page and the "Hall of Fame" page for new photos. Thanks you for following my reports and I hope your 2007 is what you want it to be.

Play it safe on the ice! Buy ice creepers for your feet, ice picks for around your neck and Arctic Armor to keep you warm and safe!

December 15 /06
Hey, were below the freezing mark. It's 27 degrees here in Lake Shore, MN this a.m.. It looks as though we are going to have another day of relatively warm weather and then the cooler stuff will be moving in on Sunday. We have enough ice to fish on, but you absolutely need to know where the good stuff is because there is plenty of bad spots too. A couple of my regular clients have been up here the past few days fishing on their own and have reported 5-8 inches of ice and some decent action. I have been very busy and haven't wet a line all week. I just brought the kids to the bus stop and their bus driver was out last night and caught a couple of walleye's. The Arctic Armor has been a hot commodity. Check it out on our "store" page, perfect for Christmas. I am a true believer in this stuff, especially with a season like we have going right now, it is a definate life saver and I'm going to have mine on every time I hit the ice! Another item that you and I should have is a set of ice picks. Some baits that I suggest for early season walleye's include the Buck Shot Rattle Spoon by Northland Tackle and the new Jigging Shad Rap by Rapala. We will continue to report ice conditions here on a regular basis, so please keep checking it. Have a nice day.

Check out the new Illuminator Tip-up by Arctic Fisherman. This is another awesome Christmas gift for the ice fisher.

December 5 /06
Good morning. It is 8 degrees on this Tuesday morning in Lake Shore, Minnesota. I just took the kids to school and it looks as though there is still a sizable area of open water out by the rock pile on Gull Lake. I haven't been out on the ice yet, but depending on how much work I get done today I might try to slide out tonight. We definitely have fishable ice here in the lakes area. There are houses on Gull, Round, North Long and Pelican. We did get some snow on Monday and we are supposed to get a little more today. It seems that there are patches of open water on a lot of the lakes, so we all need to watch every step as we venture out. If you want a little security, you need to look at out new ice fishing suits (Artic Armor). Just click on our "store" button on the website and you can read more. It will float you!! We were down at the Ice Fishing Show in St. Paul all weekend and we sold quite a few suits. Ross at Nisswa Marine also sold a few Sno Bears. My Sno Bear is getting ready for the ice. I think I will have it out early next week on some safe ice. We will be offering some Sno Bear/Fish House packages very soon on our site, so keep checking in. I will also be updating my "What's Biting" page more often to keep everyone in tune with the ice conditions in the area and of course the fishing report. Remember to travel light as you head out onto the ice during the early season. I will be at Fleet Farm this Saturday along with some factory reps from Northland Tackle, Eskimo, Vexilar, Rapala and possibly a couple of others. I will have my Sno Bear in the building and will be able to help everyone out. If you are looking for gift ideas, we can help you there too! Stop in from 11:00 to 3:30 on Saturday.

Tip of the week: If you are looking for the perfect gift, order up one of our wooden gift certificates for any of our ice or open water services. Also, buy your Extravaganza ticket now and save some cash.

November 28/06
Good morning, Things are happening! We are in a thunderstorm here right now, I'm not lying. Heavy rain, some lightning and thunder. Absolutely crazy. And then it sounds like the Arctic air is moving in right behind this. I would have to say that will mean some ugly conditions somewhere around the state. That's enough from weathermandan! I hope all of you had a happy and healthier Thanksgiving than I did. I was fine on Thanksgiving day, but the day after was not good. Tim Edinger, Mike Kennedy, Bro-In-Law Chris Estle and my Dad went rooster hunting in sw Minnesota. I spent most of the day laying in the grass, yacking! Sorry for that.
If the winter fishing season is anything like my last two open water trips, I think it will be a good one. I was out on the day before Thanksgiving and we caught some decent walleye's in 20-30 feet of water. We were using jigs and minnows. The Triton is now put away for the season and for any of you that are looking for a quality boat and awesome service, I would suggest shopping Nisswa Marine. They will treat you right. I'm currently hurrying to get ready for the St. Paul Ice Fishing Show. I will be at the Sno Bear booth. We will also have a batch of Artic Armor bibs, parkas and gloves at booth 113, I truly believe this is what all hard-core ice anglers will be wearing in the future. It's $299.99 for the complete suit. We should be on the ice early next week by the looks of the extended forecast.

Tip of the week: Buy your Extravaganza tickets and book your rooms (if there are any left).

November 16/06
Good afternoon. Just got back from S&W, was checking out the new ice fishing baits. Now I'm here at home hanging out with my son and his buddy and figured I better get an update to you on what is going on in the area lakes and woods. I was out on the water last night with Tim Hanske fishing for some walleye's and we (Tim) caught about 8 or so. He was jigging with a Fireball and I was rigging with a huge Creek Chub. The jig was the most productive by far. We found our fish in 30-45 feet of water and we were on Gull Lake. I was also out last Sunday on a trip and we caught a 27 incher on a rig and a minnow. I have taken a little break from the bow hunting but I'm hoping to get back out and give it another whirl. We had a nice coating of snow, but that is pretty much history. I will be down at the Ice Show in St. Paul with my Sno Bear, so please stop by and say hi. I will also have some Artic Armor (no, not Ice Armor) with me for sale. I'm expecting my suit in the mail any day and when I get it I'm going to take a photo and will have it on my website so you can see what it looks like. It is some pretty sweet stuff, and it floats! Some of the small ponds are frozen up here, but the lakes just have a little ice around some of the edges. I will keep you posted as we go on ice conditions. Please keep tabs on the rest of my website as I will be putting some Sno Bear packages together. A couple other things to keep in mind, the Ice Fishing Extravaganza (www.icefishing.org) and the Ice Event at Mills Fleet Farm on December 9th.

Tip of the week: Turkey Apps. are due the first of December.

November 6/06
Good morning. The weather has been fantastic for the first week of November. I haven't been on the water for quite some time (10 days or so), but I do plan on getting out in the next day or so. Some of my regular clients just bought a cabin up here and they would like to get out on the water. I think they will need to twist my arm a little to get me away from my bow and arrows but I will fish! I had some good experiences in the woods last Thursday and Friday. I flung an arrow Friday a.m. (10:20 a.m.) at a buck and my arrow must have deflected off some undergrowth. I was on the ground when he came walking across the point between some swamp country and it was just nice to have the experience. Today I will be setting another stand and hopefully I will get in some stand time before the rut is over. I love whitetail hunting! My bro arrowed a large buck in Iowa Saturday a.m., he was saying it was in the 180's Pope and Young. He said he passed on 6 other large bucks before he took this giant, must be rough. This week it's time to do some serious focusing on the winter business. I will have two Sno Bears this year and will also continue to rent houses. If you are interested in booking some trips, please get on the horn. Time to get the kids to school and then to put up my Rivers Edge tree stand on the swamp edge. Did ya see da turdy pointer??

Tip of the week: The moon is full, but the fish aren't. Go get em!!

October/26/06
It has been an incredibly busy fishing season and until the ice is thick enough to walk on, we will be doing a limited amount of trips. It's not because we don't want to be out, it's because there really aren't that many people that think we still offer guide trips this time of the year. We will keep our boats "ready for action" until we can't get them in the lake any longer. Is this break in the action nice? I needed a little tree stand time, but I also don't make any money when I'm sitting/standing on my stand. I need to see it as my vacation I guess, but sometimes my bride just doesn't see it that same way. Although she is pretty darn understanding and she does realize that deer hunting (with bow and arrow) is something that I am obsessed with. I love being in the whitetail woods this time of year. It's absolutely, positively unexplainable to most of you. I haven't had any serious close encounters YET, but I will be spending some time looking for a big buck as we enter the "rut". The early stages just started last week up here and it is going to really start cooking in the next week.

Tip of the week: Drive slower than normal, the deer will be going nuts for the next two week! So will I!!

October/17/06
There's a little drizzle falling from the sky here in Lake Shore, MN this a.m.. I just took the kids to the bus stop and was thinking it might be a good day not to be in the woods or on the water. I better try to get something else accomplished today. Momma is going to St. Cloud with the girls to go shopping, I'm on kid patrol. As some of you know, I don't usually fish Sundays. I don't fish Sunday's because it's supposed to be kept Holy. After working my butt off to try and find Chuck and Betty some walleye's yesterday on Whitefish, I think I just fished my last Sunday guide trip. It was a battle. It was a nice day, but we only caught two walleye's, three or four northern's and a few rays (sun rays). No clue where the majority of the fish were, but we hunted the lake pretty hard. I came up the excuse that the fish didn't know I was out there (because it was Sunday). I had a few other excuses too. Anyway, Chuck and Betty were nice people and I do believe they know there will be days like this. On Saturday, I put Jim Williams on a beautiful 29 incher on Gull and also put Ed on a 26 incher in the morning. The 29 incher was another bruiser, about the same size as the one I put Jason Beard on a couple of weeks ago. Where is that 30 or 34 incher? We'll find her. I am getting ready for whitetails as I will be in the woods of Camp Ripley on Thursday. Can't wait, the clothes are aired out and I'm about ready to let fly on "da turdy point buck". I will continue my pursuit of both whitetails (walleye's and deer) from here on out. It's hard to get back after the fish after being in the woods, but I can do this. So, if you are interested in coming up to try and catch the first 30 incher of the season (in my boat), please do not hesitate. I will try to make that happen for you. The big hawg caught on Saturday was caught on a jig and a red tail in 18 feet of water.

Tip of the week: Book a Sno Bear trip today.

Walleyedan
p.s. Check out the "Hall of Fame", it's just been updated with new photos.

October/3/06
It's fishing! We have had some tremendous days and we've had some other days where I wished I would have stayed in bed. For the most part, the fishing has been pretty darn steady. We have been working Gull, North Long, Pelican and Whitefish. All have been pretty good. For me, it's nice to hop around, I get bored when I fish a lake (or spot) to many times. On Gull we were catching some big fish and most were coming out of 30 ish feet of water. North Long was good to me last Saturday and we caught our fish in 19-23 feet of water. Whitefish was pretty decent yesterday and we found our fish in 17-19 feet. Rigs and red tail chubs are working best, but jigs are working too. I fished Pelican the other day with Brad, Dan and Darrell (3 service men). We had some pretty unstable weather, but we were still able to boat a few walters. Brad caught a 25 incher that was so solid it probably weighed close to 7 pounds. I had a big momma on Gull Saturday night that was 27.5 inches and weighed a lot also. The Viking Rigs are still working well. Hey, what happened with the Twins today? I was on the water and didn't get to start listening until about the 6th. Gardy, why in the sam did you put the scruff chin in there? I can't even believe he did that!! It really didn't surprise me to see the Big Hurt rock one off the scruffy duck!! Sorry Crain, but you need to shave that muskrat and start fooling some batters before you win me over. I'm getting excited about bow hunting, I have a tuned up bow and have finally bought a release. I think I'll leave the recurve on the rack this year and bag a big one with my compound.

Tip of the week: Don't fish so close to your neighbor (unless he/she is in your boat). Some people have no clue when it comes to ethics. Somedays I wished I lived in Canada!!

September/21/06
My hands are still not functioning very well after a couple of cool mornings catching big walleye's. You got it, the fall bite is on and it has been very fun. We have put back some nice ones in the past few days and hopefully they just keep getting bigger. I was fishing next to Tim Hanske and his customers the other day when they boated a 30 and a 26.5 incher. Our biggest was 25 or 26 (didn't measure). Both Pelican and Gull are going quite strong right now and I'm hoping the Pelican "bite" remains strong right through the weekend. Shelley and I are going to fish the Walleye Alliance tournament again this year. Toby and Maggie say that we are going down....know what I say? Bring it! Animal and a buddy of his are fishing it too. So are a number of other good fishermen/women from the area. We have been catching our fish on Viking Rigs in 22-35 feet of water. What's a Viking Rig you ask? It's a yellow Lindy walking sinker, a bead, a barrel swivel, a 4 foot length of 8 or 10 pound fluorocarbon line and a purple #2 Gamakatsu hook. Don't forget the healthy S&W Bait redtail chub. It is a happening presentation!! I haven't been out in the woods, but I just dropped my bow off with Beimert Outdoors to have it freshened up (new sight, string and whisker bisket). I won't get too serious for another few weeks!! My brother just shot a 5X5 elk on Monday out in Idaho. It came in at 13 yards. Next year I'm going after the herd bull!!

Tip of the week: Shorten your snells this time of year.

September/09/06
Hi everyone,

I'm a little sleepy this morning, but I need to get kicked into gear because it's going to be another busy day. I'm fishing with Randy, Pam and Joel again today, we have fished the last two days together (Gull and Whitefish). The weather has been great and the fishing has been good. We caught some nice walleye's on Tuesday on Gull and yesterday we caught walleye's and northerns on the Whitefish Chain. The walleye's on Gull were caught in the teens and we were using red tail chubs. Most of the fish on Whitefish were caught on red tails in 19-33 feet. The moon is full today and with the cold front moving in from the north should make for a good day of fishing. The next two days (Friday and Saturday), I will be fishing with Jeff and Todd Wunderlich. And I believe we will be chasing muskies and northerns. As some of you may have heard, the Minnesota D.N.R. is looking into stocking muskies in Gull lake. I had mentioned that there is a meeting coming up and I gave you the wrong date, it's on the 6th of October at Central Lakes College. School is in session! Thanks Tim and Toby for a good season. Tim and Toby are both school teachers in the Brainerd district and will be doing mainly weekend trips from here on out. Butch, Tim Hanske and I (along with some quality fill-ins) will be taking the majority of the trips from here through ice-up.

Tip of the week: During cold front conditions, fish smaller and slower.

August/28/06
Good afternoon,
I'm here at this silly keyboard and should be out in my boat getting things ready for this afternoon. Well, what do ya do? I finally got to sleep in a little bit this a.m. and did that ever liven me up! I had breakfast with a nice guy at Sportland this a.m. and then headed over and had a little winter chat with Brent at Nisswa Marine. Gotta figure our what the plan for the winter is going to be ya know. Sno Bears!! I think we are going to be running da Bears all over the lakes area. So anyway, here is the open water fishing report. Gull has been pretty darn good yet as we continue to catch some pretty darn good numbers. I have put a little time in on North Long as well, that has been pretty good too! The fish on Gull are being caught in 14-24 feet and the fish I have been catching in North Long are more in the teens. Red tail chubs have been the way to go and the Lindy Rig has remained the number one presentation. Although I have talked with a couple of jiggers that are getting them that way too. No muskies yet, but the Wunderlichs are back next week to do it again!! Maybe Todd will bring so MoJo!! Nothing against you Jeff!! I actually just now booked another full dayer musky trip with one of my long time clients, Mr. Hargrave! Big muskies, that's what Walleyedan is thinking right now!! My Dad just got home from Gull and has six nice walleyes, gotta like that. Ike is catching them, you know they are biting!! J/K!!

Tip of the week: Gull lake musky meeting is October 7th.

August/22/06
Good morning,
It's time for another day on Gull Lake. The five of us regulars plus a couple of fill-in guides will be out in about today in search of some of our finny friends. We have a group from Super Valu out this a.m. which should be a good time. I think we are going to do first, biggest and most fish. I fished with the Paulson's yesterday and Derek (a 7th grader at Eden Prairie) hooked into a 29.5 inch walleye, my boats biggest to date. The fish didn't want to go back right away, but we kept it in the livewell for about an hour and then released it on a different spot, maybe we can catch it again today. It shattered John Heinmiller's 29 incher caught on Mille Lacs in July (or June). Fishing continues to be pretty good on Gull and Whitefish. We are working the 14-30 foot depths and have been fishing mainly with red tail chubs on a live bait rig. The bass fishing has been pretty darn exceptional this year as well. I'm going to do the musky thing finally!! I will be out with Jeff and Art all day Wed. and Thurs. in search of the big momma. For all of you fishermen and women that have fished with us this season, please continue to check out our website we will be posting more pictures this week, sorry for the wait.

Tip of the week: Cheer for the Minnesota Twins today!!

August/16/06
Fishing is still very good. Walleye's are still going strong on Gull and I guess on Whitefish. Our guides have been fishing Whitefish a fair amount, but Gull has been berry, berry good to us! The fish are starting to move into their fall mode and we are seeing fish and catching them down as far as 32-35 feet. I did catch a few on jigs the other day, so it might be time to experiment with that a little more in the near future. The "Raceweek" fishing tournament went well. We had 13 boats out and everyone had a good time and caught fish. We are hoping that next year will be even more successful. Thank you to everyone that was involved, we do appreciate all your help. You would not believe how busy this open water season has been. No complaints (except for lack of sleep), but we have been on the fly and the fishing has been very consistent. Yesterday we had a large group out from General Mills and there were a lot of fish caught. Steve was the fishing magician in our boat, but everyone contributed. If we would have been keeping fish, we would have had about 18 nice walleyes, pretty good considering the trip started at 12:30 p.m.. The yellow shirt has come into play twice this week! First it was Johnny Mosquito and yesterday I had Lu put it on. Both times were "classic", I will have to explain later! Speaking of classic, I golfed the Raceweek golf tournament at the "Classic" and wow was that ever something! Scott Hoffman has a piece of art there! It was the most enjoyable round of gold I have ever played. I did not score that well, but we did use a few of my shots. The highlight was watching one of our foursome knock one in from 173 yards out. Pretty cool. I have to go get my red tails picked, have a good day and week!

Tip of the week: Get ready, the big ones are going to start!!

August/06/06
The fishing remains quite strong in the lakes area. Walleye's are still eating up red tail chubs in 12-22 feet on Gull Lake. The schools are hopping around quite a bit, but we're on 'em! The bass are still quite active as well. This is shaping up to be a very busy week, so if you want a trip, call A.S.A.P.. Tim Ed was on a smaller area lake catching some bass the other day, but for the most part we have been doing our trips on Gull. Lots of good eaters, I even ate 4 of them last night! Num, nums. My daughter is going to be 10 on Wednesday, so I think we are going to try and catch her a musky. The Raceweek tournament is on for Thursday a.m. at Ernies. We are still taking in participants up to Wednesday p.m., so if you are interested, call me at 218-839-5598. We had two pontoons out with the Kinship kids last Friday and boy was that a blast! We anchored up in about 10 feet of water and caught fish non-stop for 2 hours. Mainly huge sunnies, but we also caught a fair amount of largemouth bass, some rockies and some perch. The kids loved it and so did we. Hey, how about those Twins? They're kicking some. If I don't take a day off and get my haircut, my burns are going to be longer than Mauer's (they might be already).

Tip of the week: Sign up for Raceweek.

Have a nice week and watch out for cars!!

July/26/06
Fishing has been good, that is part of the reason for the late fishing report. The other reason is because things are just outright busy!! Holy buckets!! Fishing has been very good on Gull. The walleyes are cooperating and that means happy people. I'm going to Mille Lacs tomorrow, does that make sense? I don't believe so, but the customer is ALWAYS right!! Right?? If I had to try and guarantee a person a walleye, I would take them to Gull. What ever, we're heading to Mille Lacs tomorrow. I might have to smuggle in some musky rods and baits. I'm sorry for the late report, but I have been swamped and I have also been staining the screen porch so that is the reason for my tardy report. Have a nice week and call if you would like to fish. Musky time!!

Tip of the week: Twins Rock!! Sweep the Tigers!!

July/18/06
Fishing has been good. The walleyes, bass and northerns are eating up red tail chubs in 14-20 feet of water. Our guides have been busy and the fish have been biting. We had a group from McDonalds out yesterday and I believe fun was had by all. I had 3 nice gals in my boat and after catching a few fish each, they wanted to cruise the lake. I told them it was a nice little break for me and that I appreciated the boat ride as much as they did. One of our guides, Tim Hanske, put someone in his boat on a 29.5 inch walleye and I know that Butch was also quite successful with the walleyes yesterday. A lot of guides fished for whatever bit and they caught a lot of bass, walleyes and northerns. I had the Fick family out yesterday and then we will fish today and tomorrow as well. Drake G. had the walleye touch yesterday a.m.. We are catching some good numbers of walleyes on the north end of Gull. Tim Edinger has done a couple of trips on Whitefish recently and said one of his trips was his best walleye trip of the year. That is good considering what went on at Mille Lacs this spring. Actually I think he may have been talking about the immediate area lakes (Gull, Whitefish, Pelican and North Long). Anyway, the bit is on and you should think about booking a trip before school starts back up. The summer is zooming!!

Tip of the week: If your bait is looking tired, try some oxygen tablets in your baitwell.

July/11/06
Hi all you fishermen and fisherwomen. The moon is full and the fish should be going crazy so what the heck are you doing reading this. I was thinking it would have been a dream night for muskies, but I have an early morning trip on Whitefish so I need to get a little rest tonight. Gull was good over the weekend. I was out with Mr. Zavada and Mr. Clausen and we had a pretty darn nice catch Saturday a.m.. We caught our walleyes on red tails in 17-19 feet of water. The bass are still going pretty strong, but the big hawgs have been tough to locate. Mille Lacs is still going pretty well, but the keepers are becoming tougher to catch. Leeches have worked best on the mud flats. Now that the water has heated up, the muskies and northerns will be putting on the feed bag with regularity. I still haven't had a musky trip yet, so I will be raring to go. If you want to try your hand with the muskies it might be a good idea to get in the book pretty soon. Hasn't this weather been incredible? I cannot believe how many awesome days we have had this season. I believe this is the reason for the good fishing. We have a very busy week this week so hopefully the fish will be cooperating. p.s. Monday was very good too (on Gull). I had a Whitefish trip yesterday a.m. that wasn't the best, but I will say it was the wind shift that made for a tougher bite. The Mosaic group that we fished with out of Maddens yesterday afternoon were a fun group and they caught a lot of largemouth bass.

Tip of the week: If you can't catch any fish, go buy a yellow sleeveless t-shirt at Fleet Farm. The fish love em!! It's an inside story, but if you run into Dean from D&D Plumbing ask him!

July/7/06
Hi. Walleyedan is a little sleepy. I was over on Mille Lacs today with the McDonald family and it wasn't the best of action. Don't know if it was me or what. I did notice many, many swarms of bait. I will use that as my reason for only boating 6 walleyes and a perch. Maybe it was the lack of my stern mount Vantage that I snapped off last week on Gull (in 72 feet of water). Gull continues to be pretty darn good for bass and a walleye or northern here and there. The south end has been best in 16-19 feet. Wow has the weather been beautiful. This has been one of the nicest stretches I have seen in a long time. We were over to Maddens last night for the fireworks and it was an incredible display. The moon was in the background, the sky was clear, the mosquitoes weren't to bad and it was just perfect. Thanks Maddens!! Panfish are quite active right now in 10-15 feet, so if you are looking for eats that would be a good bet. Just get on the edge of a nice cabbage bed and drop a panfish leech and a jig. As the water keeps warming the muskies and smallies on Mille Lacs will have to be caught. I think it's about time to do some trips for other than walleyes. I'm ready!! Sorry, but that's all I have for now. I have to go clean fish and get the boat put away and plugged in for another day.

Quote of the day: "If the cows are eating the walleyes are biting". Andrew McDonald

June/28/06
Good morning. The coffee is perking, the kids and wife are sleeping and I have a day on land today. I'm not sure what I'll do with myself, but I'm sure I'll figure it out. I fished Gull the last two days and the action has been phenomenal. Mainly largemouth bass, a few walleyes, a rockies and an occasional northern. We had a group out from Zeiss and boy were they competitive. The fish were cooperating on that afternoon big time, I almost felt like moving off the spot to take a rest, but I figured since they were having a contest I would continue to "slave".
Don't get me wrong, I like to compete a little, but with out something on the line that I'm competing for it makes it tougher to hang in there. I normally do work my butt of when I'm on a guide trip, but on that afternoon I worked more than my butt off. We have been live bait rigging and weed weaseling in 14-18 feet on Gull. We did catch some nice walleyes up to 25 inches last week on Gull. Mille Lacs is still going pretty well, in fact I think that is where I'll be tomorrow. I find it hard to believe it's almost July, pretty scary. Another scary thing is that I just got my first inquiry for a guided SnoBear trip for the winter. Winter, who said that!! Tim Ed is heading to Mille Lacs all day today for muskies, we'll have to see how that one goes. I'm kind of anxious to do some casting for the biggies. It's going to be a quite busy weekend, but if you are interested in a guided trip please call and we will try to slide you in to the schedule somewhere. It has been a very good season thus far. The fish have cooperated almost every day and the number of guided trips continues to escalate, gotta love it. I get so busy I don't really have time to do anything besides either fish or get ready to fish so I haven't had a lot of TV time. Although I do try to watch as many pitches of the Twins as I can. I flipped it on last night as Lariano was pitching against the Dodgers. Unreal! I saw Mauer's 9th hit in 10 at bats, now that gut is a ball player. Have a nice 4th of July weekend and we will see you on the water somewhere or another.

June/20/06
Good evening. I fished the Whitefish Chain today with Whitefish Dan and his friends from Bettendorf, IA and surrounding area. What a nice day to be on the water. We fished walleyes and had pretty good action. We started on Upper Whitefish, caught some fish in 13-17 feet on red tail chubs and a live bait rig. Once things slowed, we moved to Middle Whitefish where we found the walleye's to be hiding. Just before lunch, we headed back to Upper and we found another school of biters. It was a fun day and the action was pretty darn steady. There were quite a few bass fishers running around pre-fishing for a Skeeter tournament this weekend. One day is on Gull and the other is on Whitefish (Friday/Saturday). I'm not sure what day is where, but I do know that they will be fishing to win a new boat. It sounds like a fun one to fish, but I think my little sister's wedding is a priority (I think). The walleye bite on Gull has been a bit up and down the last few days. The bass on Gull have been hammering. We haven't caught any hawgs, but a lot of fish. The annual Camp Confidence tournament was once again a large success. We (My Dad and Ron Fick) fished bass for the most part and caught quite a few. Ron had a couple of bigger fish spit the Skitter Pop as they jumped or we would have had more than 5 pounds 7 ounces for our 3 fish. It was fun anyway and will be looking forward to it again next year.Mille Lacs is still going, but they did disappear from a couple of my honey holes. It was a shocker, but like Shelley say's "You can't fish on memories". I'm heading over to the big lake in the a.m. to see if we can get some to go!

Tip of the week: Real men aren't scared to get a pedicure.

June/15/06
It's a little tough for me to get the blood flowing this a.m. after having the day off yesterday, but I'll come around. It has been a busy season thus far for us and the fishing has been very good. I'm continuing to do a lot of my trips to Mille Lacs, where the "bite" has been superb! I'm going to be on Gull this a.m. and then back to Mille Lacs tonight. The fishing on Mille Lacs has been incredible, you need to book a trip. We don't make any guarantees in this business, but this is about as good as it gets for Minnesota walleye fishing. Actually, you won't find walleye fishing like this in most parts of Canada. There are so many year classes in there right now it's almost hard to believe the numbers of fish. I do need to spend a little time on Gull so I can figure out what to do on Saturday for the Confidence Learning Centers' Fishing Classic. Should be a fun one again. I have heard rumors that Al Lindner and Tony Dungy may be there, I hope so. The fishing has been good on Gull, but size wise there is no comparison to Mille Lacs. The fish on Gull are still relating to the weed edges and are being caught on red tails. Whitefish, North Long and Edward are producing some nice catches as well. On Mille Lacs, all we have been using is leeches. Live bait rigs and spinners are doing the trick. On calm days, we will go to the spinner, but otherwise, the rig is doing the trick. We fished smallmouth bass over there the other day and that was a blast too. I would say if you want to book a trip, you might want to consider doing a multi-species trip. Muskies should be ready to rock as well. Gotta go!!

Tip of the week: Leave a 2 inch patch of skin on your walleye fillets when transpoting them. Also drain all the water out of your livewell and clean the weeds off your boat and trailer before heading out.

June/6/06
What a date. Storms rolled on through last night as we were up on the Whitefish Chain. As soon as we got on the water, the fish were snappin' but the weather moved in quite quickly from the southwest and we needed to head for shelter at the Wharf. We had a burger and a pop, hung out and chatted as we listened to the rumblings of the thunder. We went back out at about 7:00 p.m. and the fish were not snappin'. Isn't that just the way things go? We spent the majority of our time chasing bass. The walleye's are still going nuts on Mille Lacs. We have been doing the run over there on our 3'4 and full day trips. We have been able to keep some nice fish to eat, but there are many that are over the slot that need to be put back. The smallmouth are going good right now as well. Musky season opened Saturday. I'm not sure where I'll fish this a.m., but I'm a little concerned because of the weather that moved through. I guess I better just pull something our of the hat and make it work. I guess we did need the rain, thanks God. If you are fishing Gull, try the weedlines in 13-17 feet with a tail-hooked red tail chub. Bass are biting and we are also picking up a few northerns. Sunfish are on their beds. Pelican has been pretty decent, I just got a good report from yesterday a.m.. But that could have been the pre-storm activity. Camp Confidence and B.I.R. Raceweek are both coming up (June 17th and August 10th), please let me know if you would like to participate in either fishing event. I'm hoping to have links to both sites pretty soon.

Tip of the week: If you have boating needs, stop by Nisswa Marine and I do believe you will be impressed.

May/30/06
Good evening to all of you. It is a beauty up here tonight, the humidity is gone (for now) and it is absolutely gorgeous. I started on Pelican this a.m. and ended on Edward. Pretty tough for walleyes, but we caught a lot of northerns. That's what happens when you get flat calm conditions. It was too flat today and tough rough yesterday, I was on Mille Lacs. We couldn't fish where we wanted to, so we ended up with one 23 incher, 1 perch and a 48 inch musky on the last cast of the day. Bradley, from Dallas, Texas hooked into the giant fish and it ended up breaking off after we got a few really good looks at the beast. The season opens Saturday. I was over to Mille Lacs a couple of days last week and we did very well on the mud flats, many fish in the 22-29 inch range. Leeches on a long-snelled Lindy Rig was the way to go. Tim Hanske was over to the big lake today and caught a number of nice bass on the fly. Toby had a good trip on Gull yesterday and Tim got on the water and was blown off after about 45 minutes. The bite on Gull has been pretty decent. 14-22 feet of water has been the depth and all varieties of bait have been working on a given day. One lake that I haven't fished this season is Whitefish, I'm thinking I may just hit it tomorrow to see what is up. It has shaped up to be our busiest May on record for the guiding, and June looks like it will be quite busy as well. We have a new batch of t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats in at the baitshop, stop and shop. Thanks for the business Iowa guys!! Hope to see you in a couple of years.

Tip of the week: The ticks and skeeters and ants are out in force, bring the dope if you are coming up to the lake.

May/23/06
Wow am I tired. The season is young, but I'm getting old and I am not quite in the groove yet. I have been on the water almost every day. The fishing has been a bit up and a bit down. This most recent weather system slowed them down a hair, but it is still pretty good. I had a couple of good trips and a couple of so, so trips as of late. I'm hoping tomorrow is a good one. I have fished a lot of lakes thus far and I would say that Upper Red was the best. Yes, that's kind of supposed to be a joke. I did venture up there last week and we had a very good time. My neighbor Don and his uncle Gary and I went up and got our fix. I'm thinking about bringing up a sleeper fish house so I can have a crash pad if I continue to do some walleye/pike trips up there. It's a gas, you must try it. Local lakes that have been producing include Gull, Pelican (at times), Edward and some of the smaller lakes in the vicinity. Gull has produced a lot of walleyes thus far, but I think they will be burned out pretty soon. Caught a couple of large crappies today, but the wind kept us from being able to spot and stalk. My parents neighbors were up to fish with me a couple of times and thanks to Owen, we didn't get shut-out on Monday a.m.. The lake was flat calm, the sky was high and we didn't bag our first walleye until 11:58. Scary but true. Thanks Owen. I screeched so loud after catching that fish I'm sure people heard me in Pillager. I will have a better report for you once I get some rest.

Tip of the week: The mosquitoes are back.

May/15/06
Happy Mothers Day. I hope all of you did a better job giving your wife and mom's thanks. Walleyedan wasn't very thoughtful. I didn't forget, but I was too preoccupied. Poor excuse, yes. Sorry Shell. It's this darn fishing stuff I think. Opening day was spent with my wife, mom and dad. We started on North Long and finished on Gull. Gull was much better for us, and it was outstanding overall. Most fish were caught in the teens on shiners and red tails. Lindy rigs were best for us. 4 of our regular guides were out on the chain all day Saturday with a group from Lost Lake Lodge and they did really well. I stopped in at Lost Lake today and the gals said that the guys exceeded the expectations set upon them by their clients. You always like to hear that. The biggest fish was 22.5 inches, but they had numbers of 14-17 inchers. The whole lake was good, but the north end is where we spent most of our hours. Round was quiet, I heard Pelican was quiet, North Long was generally quiet with a few good catches mi