Brainerd Minnesota Fishing Reports

Brainerd MN Fishing Report


Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

Crappie Magic!

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 02-05-24
The warmer-than-normal temperatures have been a challenge this year for those wishing to ice fish in the Brainerd Lakes Area. This past week saw several days with highs in the lower forties. Not the best conditions for vehicle traffic on the ice. The good news is the fish have been biting for those wishing to travel on foot or ATVs. The walleye bite has been sporadic with the best bite occurring right at sundown. Key water depths have been 16 to 22 feet. Set lines have been producing the most fish with shiners being the best baits. The panfish action continues to amaze us. The crappies have still been the ticket. The best times have been right at sunset and a few hours after. The absence of ice traffic means less pressure and longer bite windows. Small tear-drop jigs tipped with minnow continue to be the best baits. The VRBO is almost ready. It's been a ton of work but it's going to be nice. JOHN


Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

Big Crappies!

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-25-24
The recent crappie bite continues to amaze us in the Brainerd Lakes Area. It has been many, many, years since I have seen so many crappies caught in such large sizes. The vast majority of the crappies we caught in the fish house last night were in the 11 to 13-inch range. It was truly spectacular. It's going to be an excellent spring for crappies if things continue at their present rate. The best crappie bite has been occurring just around sundown and extends for a few hours after dark. The best depths have been in 12 to 15 feet of water. Holes within the large weed flats have been the best locations. The best baits have been small glow tear-drops tipped with crappie minnows. The walleye bite has been fair, mostly because few anglers are targeting them right now. The larger lakes still have only 9 to 11 inches of ice, not the best condition for larger ice houses at the current time. It was 39 degrees today. There was a bunch of water on the ice. I have a feeling it is going to be a record ice-out this year. The JC ice fishing extravaganza will NOT be held on Gull Lake this year. They are opting for a virtual fishing contest instead. Go to the JC's ice fishing website if you wish to learn more details. Give us a call if you wish to enjoy the crappie bite. The action has been unbelievable. JOHN


Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

Minnesota Fun!

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-18-24
All of our ice houses are back on the ice. The smaller lakes in the area have 10 to 14 inches of ice while the bigger lakes like Gull and Pelican still have 8 to 10. The crappie bite has been nothing short of amazing the last week, both in numbers and size. Several of the house limited out within 45 minutes of sunset last night. The best bite has been occurring right at sundown but crappies have been biting well after dark. The best depths have been 12 to 14 feet near healthy stand of cabbage. Small glow demons tipped with crappie minnows have been the best baits. The walleye action has been sporadic with a few fish in the bucket each night. The panfish action has been good throughout the day. We still have a few openings during the week available. Give us a call if you would like to enjoy the fun. JOHN


Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

Crappie Magic

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-10-24
Colder conditions have created more ice in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Several of the larger lakes currently have 7 to 9 inches of ice with smaller lakes having more. It is still questionable if the JC's Ice Fishing Extravaganza will be a go this year. Gull Lake is still well short of the 14+ inches needed for the contest. The panfish action on several of the smaller lakes has been good. Key locations are holes in weed beds in 8 to 12 feet. The crappie action has also been Good. The best walleye action has been just at sundown in 14 to 18 feet. We should be able to get our big ice house back on the ice within the next few days. The weatherman is calling for highs in the single digits, or below, for the first part of next week. Perfect conditions for making ice. Thanks again.
JOHN


Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

Bad Ice Conditions

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 01-04-24
Happy New Year. We are making ice again in the Brainerd Lakes Area. This was not the case last week. The temperatures were in the 40s to 50s for much of the week and there were several days of heavy rain. We pulled everything we had off the ice before conditions got too bad. We are sorry for all the cancellations but it wasn't worth the risk. Some decided to risk it and they paid a price. Thankfully no one was injured but seven ice houses did fall through the ice last week in the Brainerd Lakes Area. We are hoping to have all of our ice houses back on the ice very soon.
JOHN


Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

Minnesota Gold!

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 12-20-23
Warmer temperatures have slowed the making of ice in the Brainerd Lakes area Round Lake currently has 4-5 inches with parts of Gull Lake still open. The smaller lakes in the area have more ice. The walleye bite on Round Lake has been sporadic with the best bite occurring right around sundown in 14 to 18 feet of water. The panfish bite has been good on several of the smaller lakes in the area. Key locations are holes in good stands of cabbage weeds in 6 to 12 feet. Small teardrop jigs tipped with waxies have been good bait choices. We are hoping to have a few houses on some of the smaller lakes soon. Give us a call if you have any questions. Thanks.
JOHN


Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

371 Bay

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 12-04-23
The lakes have been making ice! Round Lake, 371 Bay on North Long, and several other medium sized lakes in the Brainerd Lakes Area are frozen over. We will have some of the best ice fishing conditions we have seen in several years if the snow can just hold off for another few weeks. Many anglers are now pulling out portables on the smaller area lakes. The panfish action has been good along the weededge in 12 to 14 feet. Small tear-drop jigs tipped with waxies have been the best baits. Round Lake has been giving up a few walleyes at sundown in 14 to 18 feet of water. Active jigging techniques are catching the most fish. The area near Bishop's creek is still not safe to walk on. Thanks for all the calls. We will have multiple ice-houses available again this year. Give us a call if you have any questions. Thanks again.
JOHN


Gull Lake MN Fishing Guides

The Magic Moment

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 011-28-23
The temperatures dipped into the single digits this past weekend in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Many of the smaller lakes have frozen over with a thin layer of ice. The bigger lakes like Gull, Pelican, and North Long still remain open but Round Lake is mostly ice-covered. Get the ice fishing gear ready, I expect the larger lakes will be ice-covered in 2 to 3 weeks if current conditions hold. It was a very busy fall. Between bird hunting, fishing, and getting the new VRBO ready; there just hasn't been enough time to get everything done. I can't make any promises but we will do our best to keep up with the fishing reports. We will be running 5 ice houses this year. Ryan Traxler and Jon Larson will do their best to keep their clients on fish this winter. Give us a call if you have any questions. Thanks
JOHN



Brainerd Guide Service:

Our fishing guides can meet you at your resort, hotel, or pick up at your dock. We are insured, use top quality equipment and fish over 35 lakes in the Brainerd Lakes Area including: Gull Lake, Pelican Lake, Whitefish, North Long, and Mille Lacs. will provide everything needed for a great day of fishing. All you'll need is a valid Minnesota fishing license, some snacks, refreshments, and we'll take care of the rest.


Minnesota Fishing Guides

Let's Go Fishing!

We've been fishing the Brainerd Lakes area for over thirty years. The region has over 100 lakes located within 30 miles. The region offers anglers the opportunity to catch walleye, bass, musky, northern pike, and crappie all summer long. Our Brainerd fishing guides will provide everything necessary; (boat, gas, live bait, fishing rods, fish cleaning, etc.), for a great day of fishing. We offer 4, 6, and 8 hour fishing trips to suite your needs. We can pick you up from your hotel, resort dock, or cabin. Learn more about the services your Brainerd fishing guides will provide by clicking