Brainerd Guide Service BRAINERD FISHING REPORT Brainerd, Minnesota Fishing Guides "Fishing the Brainerd Lakes Area" (218) 825-8965 2-07-10 Fishing was slower this last week in the Brainerd Lakes Area. We didn’t have any problems finding the fish, but the ones we found sure didn’t want to bite. It seemed like they had lockjaw. The walleyes would rise up to the bait, stare at it, and then swim away. When we switched to crappies, they didn’t to play either. I was hoping the northern pike would remain active, but they decided to take the week off too. The groups in Bob’s dark houses saw plenty of fish this last week. Too bad most of them were walleyes. Minnesota law prohibits the spearing of walleyes. Many houses reported seeing walleye after walleye swimming through the spear hole, but not many northerns. Several anglers attempted to get the walleyes to bite, (Angling in a spear house is now legal in Minnesota) but they wanted nothing to do with eating. I finally decided to head up to Red Lake for the weekend. The walleye bite up there wasn’t much better, so yesterday decided to spend the day snowmobiling. We put on over 100 miles and had a great time. Let's hope next week is a little better. 2-02-10 The ice fishing was a little slower this last week so I decided to try something a little different. It's been a while since I was spearing so I decided to I spent Saturday morning on Gull Lake in one of Bob's dark houses with my son Jacob. We had a great time. We spent the morning testing out some of Bob's favorite decoys. Each decoy swam just a little different than the rest. Some were gliders, others snapped, but they all looked pretty cool. We saw two pike on Saturday. One about 4 lbs and the other around 10 lbs. Both managed to sneak in on us with little to no notice. One second the decoy was gliding down and then bang, there they were.  Jake manged to get off one throw, but it was a miss. Nothing makes the heart rush like being five feet away from a nice pike. The look on Jake's face was priceless. If you haven't experienced the thrill of spearing, give us a call. Bob's got five houses out at the current time. 1-26-10 Recent rains, paired with warmer temperatures in the mid-30's, caused flooded ice conditions for this year's JC's Ice Fishing Tournament. There were several sections of the contest area which held as much as 4 to 5 inches of standing water on the ice. I unfortunateally missed out on all the fun. I was called out of town at the last minute and had to live the contest through the stories of my friends. I liked the one about the guy who dragged out a jon boat and fished out of it during the contest. Thanks once again to all the volunteers that helped pull off another great ice fishing tournament. The best crappie action in the Brainerd Lakes area came from several of the smaller lakes in the area. I can't tell you the names, but don't be afraid to wander east of Brainerd in your search for crappies. That's all I can say. Any more and I'm afraid one of my friends will come a take my computer away. The Gull Lake walleye bite was fair this last week with the best walleye action occuring on Mille Lacs Lake. The key locations on Mille Lacs right now are the points of mid lake flats in 26 to 32 feet of water. 1-19-10 The JC's Ice Fishing is once again drawing near and it looks like the weather forecast is going cooperate this year. I'll take predicted temperatures in the +20's anyday. They'll sure beat the -20 degree temperatures we experienced at last year's event. Todd's been out exploring & fishing on Gull this last week. I think he's been doing a little extra scouting for the tournement. He got into a good walleye bite last Friday evening. His group left the ice with five nice keepers and even let some smaller fish go so they could grow up. The walleyes came out of 30 feet of water and were caught on smaller jigs tipped with shiner minnows. The crappie bite remained consistent this week, but the fish are slowly starting to turn towards a night bite. Most of the crappie are coming out of 20 to 24 feet of water and have been hanging close to the bottom. Small jigs tipped with minnows, or waxies, have been the best for the crappies. It should be a fun weekend around the Lake's area. We'll planning on dragging Dave's Famous SKI/GRILL back out onto the ice for this year's ice fishing tournement. Dave's brother welded up a big grill a few years back, complete with a pair of skies mounted to the bottom. There's nothing like ice fishing with a few cheeseburgers cooking on the grill. It's always a good time. Have fun, be safe. I'll let you know if we win the truck. (ha, ha) 1-11-10 Many of the smaller lakes have been providing a good crappie bite throughout the late afternoons and early evenings this week. The last four groups Todd had out spent most of their time fishing crappies with a little walleye fishing thrown in for fun. Most groups managed to catch a few walleyes on Gull Lake, but the real action came out of one of Todd's crappie houses located on a smaller local lake. Todd been spliting up his trips lately, spending most of the days' fishing on the smaller lake and then running over to Gull Lake to fish walleyes in one of his houses just before sunset. A Vexilar (fish finder) has been an important tool these last few days. Many of the crappies can be teased into biting by raising the jig up slowly and then dropping it back down slowly just as the crappies start to rise up to the bait. A small jig tipped with a crappie minnow have been very effective for the crappies while a plain glow hook, tipped with a shiner minnow, on a set line has been catching the most walleyes. Let's hope we get a little more ice on Gull Lake before the big JC's fishing tournement. There are stiil many spots on Gull Lake with only 10 to 12 inches of ice. Be careful. A good friend of mine was on Gull yesterday. There was only 10 inches of ice at the location he was fishing. He was standing next to his ATV when suddenly a full sized truck, pulling an ice house behind, drove within 30 yards of him. He's still wondering how it didn't fall through.. 1-04-10 The bite has been slower this week in the Brainerd Lakes Area. The main culprit was the colder weather we've been experiencing. I woke to minus 26 degrees F at my house this morning. That was air temperature, not wind chill.  I always try to block the cold weather moments from my memory each summer. It usually works until we experience the first cold snap of the season and then the word cold takes on a whole new definition again. The best walleye bite continues to occur on Gull Lake.  Plain hooks, red or white, tipped with minnows have been out producing all other types of lures at this time. The minnow's height off the bottom has been critical. The best height has been 1 to 3 inches. Use a depth sinker when setting your slip bobber. You'll want the bobber to be floating just under the surface when the weight pulls the rig to the bottom. There have been very few walleyes being seen of the Vexilars (fish finders). Most fish have been swimming in low to the bottom and grabbing the first set line they see.  Be Careful, there's still a truck sitting on the bottom of the main lake of Gull in 17 feet of water. There were also two snowmobiles that went in on North Long this last weekend. If you're not sure of the ice, ask one of the area bait shops. 12-31-09 Happy News Years!! (just 13 hours early) A truck went down on Gull Lake two days ago and the driver was very familiar with the lake. The ice thickness can vary from 8 to 14 inches in depth at the present time. Don't assume if your on good ice in one location that the ice depth will be the same 100 yards away. Todd was fishing on Gull yesterday. The first spot they fished had 9 inches of ice. The second, just 100 yards away, had 5 inches.  So be careful. The fishing has been mixed over the last few days. The recent snow fall and colder temperatures have slowed the fishing. Todd's group had 14 walleyes three days ago and then just 2 walleyes the next evening. Yesterday's group only landed 1 walleye, but they did have a 12 to 13 pounder up into the hole and lost it. Nobody likes a cold front. 12-27-09 I spent the last several days riding the snowmobile trails in the Brainerd Lakes area. Most of the trails where in good to fair condition. There was plenty of snow but the warmer temps made the snow heavier than I like. The sleds had to work harder and it was easy to get stuck busting new trails. The nice thing was the absence of other riders over Christmas Eve and Day. It seems like everyone when south to celebrate. There were several trails where I was the first one cutting the trail. It made for an exciting time. Happy holidays. 12-22-09 The ice conditions continue to improve in the Brainerd Lakes area. There's been a good deal of small vehicle traffic on most of the lakes in the lakes area, not to mention a few larger trucks with ice houses as well. Gull lake had 11 inches the other evening and Round lake had 12 inches. The best bite continues to be in the evenings. The best times have been happening in the one hour window surrounding sunset. The best bite has been on Gull in 16 feet of water, just off the break lines, on the north end. Small jigs tipped with a smaller shiner minnow have been the best bait. The panfish action has remained good this week. The best crappie bite has been happening on some of the smaller, less known, lakes in the area. The times of the crappie bite have been similar to the walleye bite, but are lasting later into the evening. Have a happy holiday. 12-12-09 The single digit temperature have really improved the ice conditions these last few days. There were numerous portable ice houses out on many of the smaller lakes these last few days. The colder temperatures are improving ice conditions daily. I'm sure we'll see a big increase in 4-wheeler traffic this weekend. It doesn't take long when the daily lows drop to minus 5 degrees to start making good ice. The crappie bite had been pretty good with most of the action occurring just of the weed line in 24 to 30 feet of water. 12-09-09 The colder weather has put a skim of ice on most of the smaller lakes throughout the area. Today I talked to several friends with homes on some of the local lakes. The reports are good. Lake Edwards, Rice, Whipple, and Perch are all covered with ice. The ice reports varied from 2 to 3 inches along the edge of the lake with still not enough ice on the main lake to support safe walking. It's currently 5 degrees out and its snowing. We should make an additional inch of ice tonight if the weather holds. The only thing that might cause problems right now is the snow. 12-07-09 Big Cat Report. One of my friends sons caught a picture of a big cougar on his trail cam this last weekend. The picture was taken just a few miles south of town. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen the photo myself. The cougar photo was taken just after the camera took a picture of a smaller buck. The buck seemed totally a ease. Poor guy had no idea what was following him. Todd's new aluminum fish house is looking great. It's 16 feet long with 6 holes all the amenities. Todd and his buddy have built a half dozen aluminum houses this fall. They all have crank up wheels and aluminum skin. They're as nice as any of the big named fish houses on the market at a fraction of the price. Thanks for your business. Life's Good!!! John Blong Brainerd Guide Service www.brainerdguide.com   Fishing Memories Past Pictures Contact Brainerd Guide Service to schedule your Brainerd, MN fishing trip! ( 218 ) 825 - 8965 Copyright 2001 by John Blong - Minnesota Fishing Guides - SheexMan WebPages - Fishing Guides for Brainerd, MN.