Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 05-14-24
The weather was fabulous on the Minnesota walleye opener. It has been many years since I have experienced such beautiful weather. The walleye action was fair for those fishing on Saturday, Bright clear skies with no wind made for a lovely day but less than ideal conditions for catching walleyes. Thankfully the wind picked up on Sunday and so did the bite. The walleye were either shallow or deep this past weekend. The shallow fish were 4 to 6 feet and the deeper were 18 to 23 feet. The shallow fish were harder to catch during the day. The best bait for the deeper fish was a jig/shiner combo dragged slowly behind the boat. The night anglers faired better with the shallow fish by long-line trolling with raps. The crappie action continues to be strong with many fish moving into the pencil reeds to spawn. Water temps on most lakes are in the low 50s. The bass action was excellent this past weekend. The bass season is catch-n-release until the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Most bass were in backwater areas mixed in with the crappie or on the backside of the edge of good cabbage weeds. Get the yardwork done. It's time to go fishing.
JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 05-05-24
The Minnesota fishing opener is just a few more days away. The forecast looks good, and the local bait shops are saying they will have a good supply of spot-tail shiner minnows this weekend. The crappie bite has been good. Shallow backwater areas with muddy bottoms have been key locations. Small casting bubbles tipped with a single gold hook and a small crappie minnow have been effective presentations. The walleye finished spawning several weeks ago. There will still be some in current areas but not in the numbers that occur when there is a late ice-out. Late-night trolling should be effective this year. The best technique is long-lining with floating minnow lures. Daytime presentations will be deeper but most of the eyes will still be related to the backside of the weed edges. Have fun, don't forget to buy a license, and ensure your watercraft sticker is up-to-date. JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 04-20-24
The crappies have moved into the shallows on many of the lakes in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Muddy dark bottom areas are key locations at present. These locations warm quickly and are usually 10 to 15 degrees warmer than the main lake. The crappies are drawn to these areas because of the abundance of food which helps female crappies develop their eggs, Selective harvest should be considered when keeping fish for supper. Let the 12-15 inch females go and keep a batch of 9-10 inch males instead. It's too easy to put a hurt on the female fish when they are up shallow. Key lures are plastics with a slow rate of fall suspended below a casting bubble. Rootbeer, pearl, and pink/white have been effective colors. Get your yard work done, it will be the fishing opener before we know it. See you next week. JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 04-05-24
Mother Nature threw us a curveball last week. The 18-20 inches of snow and freezing temperatures reminded us Winter 2024 wasn't over. Most of the smaller lakes in the Brainerd Lakes Area froze back over while the larger ones remained open. They should all be open again by this weekend. There is still some crappie activity in the deeper basin areas but most anglers seem to be waiting for warmer weather patterns to return before venturing back to the lakes. The good news is we expect a good supply of spot-tail shiners to be available for this year's walleye opener, unlike last year's shortage. The open water conditions mean most of the walleyes should be done spawning well before the May 11th fishing start. Mild temperatures are the long-term forecast, which means warmer water conditions this May. This should create a good bite on the opener if the current forecast holds. It's time to get the boat rigged for another season. Thanks for the calls. It's looking like another busy open-water season. JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 03-20-24
The lakes are open and the crappies have been biting. Key locations are deep water areas. These are the same areas you would find them in if we still were ice fishing. Small jigging raps have been effective in these locations. The only bad news is there is a major snow effect forecasted for this upcoming weekend. The last report I saw was predicting 18 to 20 inches of total accumulation for Saturday through Tuesday. It will be our first major snowfall this winter. I am not looking forward to it but we need the moisture. The VRBO is coming along nicely. The new appliances have been ordered and should arrive in a few weeks. We will post pictures in the weeks to follow. Give us a call if you have any questions. Thanks. JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 02-28-24
Where did February go? It disappeared in a blink. The ice conditions this year were some of the poorest we have experienced in many years, hence the lack of fishing reports. There just is not a fish out there worth dying for. Most of our time has been spent tearing out all the upstairs flooring in the VRBO. We plan to replace it with laminate wood plank flooring. The place is taking shape. The cabinet guys were out measuring the other day. We decided to with rustic hickory with granite countertops. They really will look good with cabin's knotty pine vaulted ceiling and stone fireplace. We will post pictures when we get closer to being finished. JOHN

Brainerd, Minnesota
Fishing Report: 02-20-24
The ice has been going out fast in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Most of the smaller lakes will be ice-free by the end of next week. We have really backed off on ice fishing due to the poor ice condition this year.. The extra time has been spent working on our VRBO. The new laminate wood floors will be installed within the next few weeks and then it's time for kitchen cabinets. This weekend will be devoted to boiling maple syrup. It has been a record year for the sweet stuff. So much to do with so little time. We should start seeing crappies in the shallows in the next few weeks if current conditions hold. JOHN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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