Brainerd Fishing Report: 1-30-12
Good News! The rescheduled Ice Fishing Extravaganza is officially a go! We've already surpassed the 16 inch minimum ice requirement with a current depth of 18 inches and we're sure to have even more ice by the tournament on February 11th, 2012. This is good news for both anglers and the community. The Ice Extravaganza is a worthy cause that yearly brings thousands of visitors to the Brainerd Lakes Area. The walleye fishing has slowed this last week with 2-3 fish an evening beginning the norm. Key depths have been is 16 to 18 feet. A shiner minnow on a dead line has been the best bait. The crappie fishing has been fair on most of the smaller lakes. The best action has been taking place in 28-32 feet of water. The crappies have been suspended 2-6 feet of the bottom in most cases, but will rise farther off the bottom once the sun starts to set. Small jigs tipped with minnows have been the best baits. A Vexilar is almost a must right now. The key has been fishing slightly above the fish and every school of crappies seems to be coming in at a different depth. The new boat is about finished. I got a call from Ranger Boats the other day and the boat should be in Minnesota by the middle of next month. My wife always says X-mas comes in February for fishing guides. (ha, ha)
Life is GOOD!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 1-23-12
Gull Lake's ice conditions have improved dramatically over the last five days. We found 16 inches of ice in the three locations we fished this weekend. Be advised! The ice conditions still vary widely throughout the lake. People should exercise extreme caution when venturing onto the ice in the region located north of Quarterdeck Resort and south of Sandy Point on Gull Lake. This area still had open water 10 days ago. An ice house fell through in this area over the weekend. The new snow makes everything look the same right now, so be safe. The walleye action has been good in 16 to 18 feet of water. The best locations have been the main lake points that drop off quickly into deeper water. We had five groups out spearing over the weekend and it was a blast. The houses averaged 3-5 fish per morning. The biggest pike last weekend was 32 inches. We also watched several larger ones swim through the hole. Give us a call if you'd like to try this great winter sport. Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 1-17-12
Gull Lake's poor ice conditions this year have caused the JC's Ice Fishing Extravaganza to be postponed. The new date has been set for February 11th, 2012. Hold on to your tickets. Valid ticket holders who are unable to make the rescheduled date will be given a voucher good for next year's event. It's too bad the contest had to be postponed, but there was a large section of open water still on Gull Lake as late as this last Sunday. There was a slim chance we'd have enough ice in the contest area by this weekend, but it was just too risky. The biggest worry was contestants unfamiliar with Gull Lake would accidently venture into the unsafe areas while traveling on the lake. All things considered, the right call was made. It's finally starting to feel a little more like January again. The temperature outside right now is -3 degrees. Congratulations to the Brainerd Warrior's basketball team. They defended Little Falls tonight 80 to 78. My son's buddy, Jager Hanson, sunk two free throws with just .5 seconds left on the clock for the victory.
Life is VERY Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 1-10-12
This year's lack of ice has forced us to find alternate locations for our ice houses. There just hasn't been enough ice to drive the larger trucks safely across the big lakes yet. The high temperature yesterday was 52 degrees, so I think we're still going to have to wait for safe ice. We were out on Gull Lake Sunday afternoon and found 12.5 inches in the first location we were fishing and then 9 inches in the second. The good news is the weatherman is predicting the return of colder temps for the next several days. Hopefully we can make another 4 to 5 inches before the big JC ice fishing tournament on Gull Lake. The walleye bite has been fair. The best action occurs around sundown and usually lasts for less than an hour. The crappie bite has been fair too. We've been fishing on several of the smaller lakes in the area. The best action has been coming out of the spearhouses. The last few groups have had good success with the eaters. (3 to 4 lbs) and Bob watched an absolute monster swim through the other day. Thanks for the calls. We're booked solid for the coming weekend. It should be a good time.
Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 12-30-11
I want to thank everyone for making last year such a great season. We look forward to seeing everyone in the coming year. The recent warm weather has put a damper on the local ice production. Several lakes still have open water.  The local newspaper had an article about the topic this week. The article's photo showed several large open water sections on Whitefish Lake. The photo was taken from an airplane just this last Monday. The article stated Gull Lake still had several open water sections too. We've been spending most of our time on North Long. I saw a small truck out on Round Lake today. I hope the owner had good insurance! The ice varies from 6 to 12 inches on many of the lakes that I've been on. The variation in thickness makes for dangerous conditions. I definitely wouldn't advise any vehicle traffic on the larger local lakes at this time. The family went to Red Lake this last week and had a great time. I just read what I wrote. It's 12:34 am and I can see that I'm tired. Happy Holidays to everyone. Life is Good!
JOHN

Brainerd Fishing Report: 12-21-11
We're making ice in the Brainerd Lakes Area but we still don't have much for snow.
I can't remember a year when we didn't have at least some snow for Christmas. Bob had several groups out spearing this last week. The darkhouse action was good on the days when the ice noise wasn't sounding like an episode from a Star Wars movie. (Bob's exact words) There were several evenings when the ice was just pinging, popping, and chirping. I can't imagine what it sounded like to fish in shallow water. The best spearing action has been found in 8 to 10 feet of water. The walleye bite has been good on Gull, Round, and Pelican. Todd was out the other night on Gull and found 8 inches of ice at the location he was fishing. Bob moved a couple houses to North Long on Monday night and found 9.5 inches there. I hope everyone has got their Christmas shopping done. I'm headed over the Alexandria tomorrow night to watch a little varsity basketball. The boys have won their last three games in a row. Let's hope the streak continues. Go Warriors!  Happy Holidays to everyone.
Life is Good!
JOHN