Brainerd MN Fishing Report Archives
View a list of all of the Brainerd MN fishing reports archived on Brainerd.com. Fishing reports are submitted by local fishing guides including WalleyeDan, Todd Andrist, and Richie Boggs
June 28, 2016
The walleye bite throughout June has been good! We have been fishing Gull, Round, and the Whitefish Chain the most and all are producing fish. We are starting to see fish transition into those mid summer areas around mid lake structure, edges of flats extending out into the deep water basins, and thicker cabbage weed areas where they will spend most of their summer. Fishing the wind blown structure has been helpful, as always with walleyes. The bite on Gull and Round has been predominately leeches and night crawlers fished in many different ways. Target the 9-14 foot depths. Start with a live bait rig and a 3-4 foot snell. I like to use a floating jig head or a float on the main line when fishing leeches and crawlers. Don’t be afraid to get in the weeds and pull the rig fast to trigger bites. On the Whitefish Chain we have been fishing a little deeper in the 15-25 foot depths and using a live bait rig with a Redtail minnow, jigging Rapala, or pulling crawlers on a spinner or slow death hook. There was a recent bug hatch and covering water with crawlers sometimes is the best option when this happens.
Bass are biting in the weeds and it’s getting into jig worm time. A 3/32 ounce mushroom head jig with a Berkley 7 inch powerworm fished over the deep weedline will do the trick. If your fishing a little shallower wacky rig a Senko worm.
The panfish bite is going good as well in the 7-12 foot depths around the thicker weeds. Small leeches fished under a float worked well this week on a panfish trip. Keep moving around until you find the fast and furious action.
Good Luck Fishing,
Nick Miltimore
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
Larson FX Series Promotional Team
218-232-7277
The walleye bite has been pretty good in the Brainerd/Nisswa area over the last week. We are targeting water in the 12-20 foot range during the daytime hours depending on the lake. A jig and shiner minnow is still working some days but we have seen the crawler and leech bite really pick up this last week. Slip weight rigging a nightcrawler or leech on a 3-5 foot snell with a single hook has been productive. If they won’t bite it right away add a little speed to try to trigger the bite. Anywhere around good weeds or on the sand is a good place to start looking. On a calm day with a good pair of polarized sunglasses you can actually see the walleyes cruising the shallows. Pike and bass have been very active in the shallows and crappies are still being found on beds in the reeds or also over the top of cabbage weeds. Beetle spins or slip bobbers are taking these fish. Water temps are mid to low 60’s.
Good Luck Fishing,
Nick Miltimore
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
Larson FX Series Promotional Team
218-232-7277
Well the first week of the 2016 MN walleye season is in the books! Here in the BLA we are targeting shallower water in the 8-15 foot range. If you can find last years cabbage weeds that are still standing and now greening up again with sand close by that is a good place to start. Check the inside edge where the sand meets the weeds. On calm days you can see them cruising the shallow sand areas close to weeds. I’ve been targeting them with 1/8 and 1/16 ounce jigs tipped with a spot tail shiner minnow. Otherwise try live bait rigging a spot tail as well. Trolling crankbaits after dark is producing some fish as well. Troll the shallow sand flats in 4-7 feet of water. For crappies start looking up in the pencil reeds as they should be on their beds. Plastics or a crappie minnow on a 1/32 ounce jig should do the trick. Have a good weekend!
– Nick Miltimore
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
The walleye bite is heating up! They are giving us a bit of a “preview” of the fall bite as the water temps quickly dropped from the cold weather we received last week. It should only keep getting better from here out. We are getting walleyes on humps and step breaklines off of weeds or large flats anywhere from 13 – 33 feet of water depending on the conditions and lake. Gull and Whitefish seem to be the lakes to be on. Slip weight rigging a creek chub or redtail with a 2.5 – 6 foot snell or ripping a Rapala Jigging Rap have been whats working for me. These fish are easy to pick out on the electronics so move around until you locate them. Check us out online at www.walleyedan.com or call 218-839-5598 to book a trip and get in on the action!
– Nick Miltimore
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
Good morning and Merry Christmas to you and your families.The weather has been on a little bit of a roller coaster ride this fall (winter actually begins tomorrow). As far as the ice conditions, they are pretty darn good! I was on Gull Lake the night before last (12/18) and we had about 12 inches of good solid ice. We also caught fish on that night. We were using jigging spoons and also tip-ups in 17-20 feet of water. The jigging spoons were 1/8 ounce and we were using just the head of the minnow. My busy season is about to begin with the SnoBear and I guess that means it’s about time to make my final push for the deer. I was happy to get out and hunt pheasants the other day too, what a blast it was! We hunted some private property and the birds were plenty! The new season of “We Love It! Outdoors” begins next week and we have some pretty cool shows on tap for the 2015 season. Tune in and also keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Merry Christmas and blessed 2015!
Walleyedan
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
This starts the best time of year for fishing in the Brainerd Lakes Area, that is not just my opinion. Of course catching fish is still not automatic, but it gets pretty close as we move on through September. I was last out on Gull last Friday with Dave Copham and his buddies Rick and Mick and we managed 11 walleyes during our evening trip. Then it was over to Mille Lacs on Saturday for a little musky fishing where I met up with Brian and Ray Dewitt. It was a gorgeous day and we ended up with two follows and saw another from a distance. My wife and son met me over there for the afternoon and we ended up finding a nice school of large, smallmouth bass! What a blast it is reeling in a 17-21 inch smallmouth, Shelley though she had a musky on. So, the fishing action is heating up, but it’s also deer opener on Saturday here in Minnesota and Wisconsin. I’m looking forward to getting out with my son here in MN and with Todd Hess over in Wisconsin. We will be hunting with crossbow in WI, as they are now opening that up to the general public this year. One more thing to add to the calendar, the 2nd annual Walleyedan’s Fishing To End Hunger walleye tournament coming up on October 4th on the Gull Lake Chain. Head over to www.fishingtoendhunger.com for more details! Kids Against Hunger Brainerd Lakes Area is the beneficiary! Bye for now!, Walleyedan
Walleyedan
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
Welcome anglers summer has finally arrived. Fishing has picked up with the warming water. Walleyes are biting with lots of pike and bass mixed in. I’ve also been catching some nice panfish. The streams are still flowing hard with all the rain so trout fishing has been slow. The trout lakes have been good with high stocking numbers. Hope you can come up and enjoy our beautiful area lakes. And remember Get Outdoors!!!!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs
I’d like to welcome everyone to spring. It’s finally here. The trees and plants are blooming the water is warming and we are for good times on the water. The walleye fishing is still a little slow but there are still a lot of bass and pike mixed in to keep the poles bent. The pan fishing has been awesome . The trout fishing is good in lakes but still tough in streams with the water still real high. Most of the suckers are leaving creeks and heading into the lake. Thanks again for checking in and remember GET OUTDOORS !!!!!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs
Welcome fishermen to the 2014 open water season!!!. What a great opener. We had some of the best weather I can remember for the walleye opener. We had the governors opener here in the Brainerd area and had a chance to spend two days educating local youths (4th graders) on fishing related subjects. We had a solid opener with the walleyes being a little tough but with the presence of pike and bass in the same areas it made for a great week-end. The panfish have invaded the shallows looking for the warm water and biting good. There are still suckers in some of the creeks for some great action. Make sure and plan ahead and book your trips early to get your day on the water with me. Thanks for checking in and remember Get Outdoors !!!!!!!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs
Hello from the epicenter of fresh water fishing!! The excitement is starting to rise to the surface as we get closer to the 2014 Minnesota Fishing Opener. Those toothy critters (walleyes and northerns) are going to be fair game once again starting at midnight on the 10th of May (Saturday). Our guides are in semi-scramble mode as we all are either getting ready to or are currently loading up the boats with rods, reels, tackle boxes, tools, lifejackets and all the other goodies that we bring with us on the water. We all have brand spanking new Larson FX fishing boats this spring and they are very sharp! As for the fishing, I think it’s going to be good.
The Minnesota Governors Opener is on Gull Lake this year and that is where I will be along with 100 plus other anglers on opening day. The walleye population is good and I know for a fact that the crappies are biting too. My dad has been catching them from shore. The walleyes are going to be pretty darn shallow and the top presentations will be jigs and minnows, live bait rigs and minnows, crank baits such as the Salmo Hornet and jigs and Gulp Alive!
Our guide service has a pretty cool contest going on form opener to close (of the walleye season). It’s the Walleye Lotto and we will have more info on the www.walleyedan.com website very soon. It’s going to be an exciting year and it’s shaping up to be a pretty darn busy one too. “Jingles the Fish” is who you want to catch, but she’s not an easy catch! Have a great day and don’t catch them all,
Walleyedan
Walleyedan’s Guide Service