Brainerd Fishing Report - Brainerd Lakes Area Fishing Report
Fishing Report - Brainerd, Minnesota
Don't set out on your next Brainerd fishing trip unprepared! Check in with our Brainerd Lakes expert fishing guides Todd Andrist and Walleye Dan for an up to date fishing report on the Brainerd fishing lakes. Look for information on everything from Walleye population to lake conditions with the Brainerd fishing report.
Our local fishing guides know the Brainerd lakes well and have years of fishing and guide experience to provide you with the best fishing report possible. Not only do our guides provide a regular fishing report, but you can schedule 1/2 or full day guided fishing trips with them and experience a professional fishing trip year round.
Meet our Fishing Guides:
Walleyedan's Guide Service
Dan and Shelley Eigen
9287 Anderson Rd., Lake Shore, MN 56468
www.Walleyedan.com
218-839-5598
May 16, 2023
Good morning! We are a few days into the Minnesota fishing season, and like every other “opener”, there are mixed reports! Some people hammered them and others got shut out. I opened up on Gull and caught a mixed bag of fish, but only one walleye (a 24 incher). I did hear of a couple good reports from Gull, but overall most anglers did not score on the walleye! Are they shallow? I’m sure. The crappies were biting quite well, and bass too. We did have a few pike as well. I was out on Sunday night with my son Mac and a couple of his pilot students. The night was gorgeous and we saw Star Link again, but it was to nice and all we boated were northerns. I hear and see the Mille Lacs smallmouth are going berserk, so I am half thinking of making a rip over there. The guide calendar is filling up and I would suggest if you are looking to fish, you should make your plans now. Turkey season runs through the end of the month, so you do have a little time! Make sure you spray down with some tick defense before hitting the woods! If you’d like to book a guided fishing trip, call Shelley at 218-839-5598. You can also find us on FB, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and at www.Walleyedan.com.
Have a great day!!,
Walleyedan
March 16, 2023
Good afternoon!
Or is it? The weather is not nice, but we are hoping old man winter is about done with his crappy weather. It’s mid-March, and people are really starting to think open water and other spring activities such as turkey hunting, baseball, etc.. We do still have a couple of feet of ice on the area lakes, so ice fishing is definitely the way you will be fishing in the BLA for the next couple weeks for sure. I had the Pillager high school kids out the other day and we caught some pan fish and a couple of pike. Last Friday I was out on another area lake and the action was good. I was testing out my new, Two Brothers Innovations rods and so far I am quite impressed! This time of year is fun because plastic baits can be as or more effective than live bait. We have been fishing 8-14 feet of water on the edge of some of the larger flats, but soon they will even move up shallower. This is a fun time of year to get after these crappies and sunny’s because they are typically quite aggressive. If you want to try and get in some ice action, please call. If you want to schedule open water, Shelley is standing by, 218-839-5598. Have a nice day and weekend and know that spring is days away!
Walleyedan
January 30, 2023
Good morning!
Another Extravaganza is in the books and this one will go down as a pretty special one. A 13 year old boy from Hutchinson, MN caught a 9.45 pound walleye to win a Ford F150 that he won’t be able to drive for a few years. He caught in 50 feet of water on 3 pound test and a tungsten jig fishing for tulipee. I joined a group of friends that have won numerous prizes in the past, but this time around we did not even see a fish caught anywhere near us. We were in 64 feet of water. Once again, I was amazed by the awesome coordinating and organization of the event! Thank you to all the volunteers! And participants.
The fishing has hit the mid-season slump a bit. We are still catching some fish, but it has slowed down quite a bit. It sure doesn’t help that we finally got some cold, cold air to move into the area. But looking at the forecast there is warmth at the end of the tunnel! If you are interested in coming up to fish, we can get you out in one or more of our houses. Or, if you would like to go out and run and gun, we can do that too. The Polaris Titan is one sweet machine. Hey, did you happen to see the eelpout catch? You can see it on Walleyedan FB, Instagram or @theWalleyedan on TikTok. If you are interested in getting out on the ice, or if you want to book your open water trip for this coming spring, summer or fall call Shelley at 218-839-5598. Or email walleyedan@walleyedan.com
I hope you have a nice week,
Walleyedan
MN Walleye Guide
Todd Andrist
19964 See Gull Rd NW., Brainerd, MN 56401
www.MNWalleyeGuide.com
218-821-8812
July 2, 2020
Things have heated up in the Brainerd lakes area it’s hot. The walleye seem to be heading out to deeper weed edges and have been active early mornings and late evenings. Crawlers and leeches seem to be working but if you can find some red tails chubs those seem to be the best. Lindy rigs and slip bobbers along the tips of wind swept points. The pike seem to be using the cabbage weed beds and be caught on spinner baits or trolling sucker minnows. The bass and panfish have slipped out to the 10-15 foot depths and are extremely active. Water temps are in the mid 70s and the lakes are full of food so patience and persistence are the keys to success. Thanks and have a great Time!
Todd Andrist MnWalleyeGuide.com
Fishing Report Archives:
November 17, 2022
Well, it looks like that’s a wrap to the open water season. And now on to the ice season! This weekend’s forecast looks cold and if the wind pipes down for a day or two there will be a lot of lakes sealed up in this neck of the woods. We just put the Vexilar/KDrill order in this morning and if you rent a fish house from us this winter, they will come with the use of a new FLX 28 or 30. We will have 4 houses for rent and still working on a SnoBear. The deer season is still open. Ducks, pheasants and grouse are still fair game too. We will try to keep you posted on ice conditions and the fishing report once we get out there, but for now that’s it!
Happy Thanksgiving!,
Walleyedan
July 25, 2022
Here we are nearing the end of July already, I cannot even believe how fast this year is sailing by. Shelley is keeping the guides busy and they are doing well putting their guests on fish! The weather has been screwy, that is for dang sure, but it is what it is! The walleyes action has been pretty darn good, but it always helps to have wind (a fishable wind). Leeches are going to be your best bet for catching walleyes, but the problem is that every other fish in the lakes love them too and you will go through a lot of bait! You must keep moving along structure if you want to find the desirable fish. If you are continually getting robbed, keep moving along the windswept structure and eventually you will land on them. Most of the game fish in the lake right now are in less than 18 feet of water and A LOT of them in are less than 10 feet. You are going to find largemouth and smallmouth bass right along with the walleyes. Our guides have been fishing Gull, Pelican and North Long for the most part. If you would like to hook up with one of our guides, please call Shelley at 218-839-5598!
Enjoy the rest of this fast moving summer,
Walleyedan
January 7, 2022
Good morning!
It looks like we have a real winter on our hands. You’d think that with the cold, we would be in good shape as for ice making but because of all the snow that’s not the case. Gull Lake, which is site of the worlds largest ice fishing contest has varying ice depths. Snowmobile is definitely the best mode of transportation on Gull. Fishing has been good for those that are getting out, but this is the least amount of houses I have seen on the ice in many years. We will just have to keep on eye on things over these next couple of weeks. I drilled a hole the other in an area that had 4.5” a week ago and on Wednesday it had only made an 1 1/4”. I will check again next Wednesday and keep you posted. If you are going to head out onto the ice, make sure you wear knee high boots! There’s some slush out there.
Sorry for the bleak report!,
Walleyedan
October 4, 2021
The weather has been spectacular and the fishing has been pretty darn good too. We just completed our 9th annual Walleyedan’s Fishing To End Hunger tournament last Saturday at Bar Harbor Supper Club on Gull Lake. The event was a success in all ways. Money raised for the Outreach Program, decent fishing and decent weather. Thank you all who participated and for those who volunteered their efforts. The winning team of Dobias and Bohnsack had just shy of 18 pounds for 5 fish. Most anglers were using a hook, line and sinker with a red tail or creek chub fished at many different depths (8-60’). With these cooler nights and shorter days, the action should continue to get better up until the ice forms. If you are looking at taking advantage of this awesome weather and the beautiful leaves, now is your time to book a trip! Call Shelley at 218-839-5998 to book one of our guides!
Walleyedan
July 2, 2020
Things have heated up in the Brainerd lakes area it’s hot. The walleye seem to be heading out to deeper weed edges and have been active early mornings and late evenings. Crawlers and leeches seem to be working but if you can find some red tails chubs those seem to be the best. Lindy rigs and slip bobbers along the tips of wind swept points. The pike seem to be using the cabbage weed beds and be caught on spinner baits or trolling sucker minnows. The bass and panfish have slipped out to the 10-15 foot depths and are extremely active. Water temps are in the mid 70s and the lakes are full of food so patience and persistence are the keys to success. Thanks and have a great Time!
Todd Andrist MnWalleyeGuide.com
Good morning! One would think the way the weather has been that we’d have a ton of ice up this way. But that’s far from the truth! The untimely snow falls, after getting about 4 inches of ice has really hindered the ice growth. We’ve been plowing a private road with 4 wheeler for a while and the road is good. But as soon as you get off road, you may be driving on 5.5”. So my suggestion is that you play it really smart and use your two, God-given legs and hoof it out if you don’t feel confident. We have 2 houses and a dark house out on the ice and we are monitoring the situation daily. 2 of our nicer houses are still on shore and it may be until after the new year that we get them out. Fishing has been fairly slow, but we are catching some walleye and pike. If you are interested in a guided trip on the ice, please give us a ring! 218-839-5598.
Walleyedan
Good morning from Brainerd! I’m actually in a hospital bed watching the Yankees/Boston series in London, trying to recoup a blown out back! Not fun, but being here makes me realize quite quickly that my issues could be worse! So enough of that, let’s talk some fishing. The weather has made things a little wishy washy, but overall the fishing has been really good. We’ve been hitting Gull pretty hard, and catching some nice fish most days. The schedule has been busy, especially with me out of the line up for a while, but if you are ready to hit the lakes and try to catch a fish just give a a ring, text, email, tweet, FB message or Instagram message! Hey, you can call too! Shelley will set you up if you give her a ring, 2188395598. If you want to just catch fish, you need to book a trip with us on Mille Lacs right now! Kids, elderly, whoever…this is the place to go right now to catch walleye. You won’t be able to keep any, but it sure is fun. You really don’t need a guide, but why not let us bait your hook, control the boat, take your fish off so you can kick back and relax!
Happy Independence Day people!!,
Walleyedan
Fishing in the Brainerd lakes area has remained consistent. Water is slowly starting to warm up and we are about 2 weeks behind normal. Bass action remains fairly shallow and seem to be biting just about anything. The bluegills have just finished up spawning and are heading for the cabbage beds. Crappie fishing has been spotty with fish being caught in cabbage weed along the breaks.Walleye fishing has been the most consistent at dawn and dusk into evening casting and trolling jerk baits. Best depths have been from about 4 to 8 feet.
Fish can be shallow and deep this time of year so keep an open mind.
Good luck! Todd Andrist Mnwalleyeguide.com
Good, moist Wednesday morning from lakes area! I’m sitting in my blind, bow at my side and have a gobbler not to far away. I think he’s wise, and I’m just going to wait him out a bit longer and see if the bugger silently comes it (because he has been quiet for the last 15 minutes). It’s been a heck of a turkey season once again, and it’s not over until the end of the month! But, it’s time to make some dough, and that means the Larson FX is going to be getting launched a lot in the coming days, weeks and months. We had a guide meeting the other night and I believe it’s going to be another busy and successful season on the area lakes. The ice has been off since April 25th, so my guess is that we will be able to find some hungry fish come opener. In fact, the crappies have been getting hammered for a couple of weeks now. If you’re looking to come up and fish, I would have the back-up plan (pan fish) ready to GO! I’ll be out on Gull opening morning and then at the docks of Bar Harbor for our annual Lil’ Fry Fishing Tournament at 1:00. This tournament is full, no walk-ins unfortunately. For details on future kids events, go to the Lil’ Fry Fishing Tournament FB page. Also be sure to “like” Walleyedan on FB and we will keep you clued in to what’s going on! Another avenue where you can get the “general” scoop is on 102.7 The Word. I’ll be on the Friday mornings at approximately 8:35 and then again on Friday evenings in the 6 o’clock hour. Lots of things going on and lots of excitement in the area with the big weekend coming! Get out and enjoy!
Walleyedan
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
Good bye August, hello fall fishing and hunting season! The acorns are dropping like I’ve never seen before and the Farmers Almanac is calling for a brutal winter. I guess we will see. For now, our focus will continue to be on the remainder of the open water guiding season. It’s been a busy one and the fishing has been pretty darn good (overall). The walleye fishing is only going to get better as we move on into September, and unfortunately this is when a lot of people stop thinking about fishing. We have been fishing Gull Lake for the most part and are finding the fish in 15-30’ and catching them on live bait rigs tipped with either red tail chubs or creek chubs. If you have the itch to fish, please call Shelley and book a trip today. Our guides will continue to fish until we can no longer put the boats in the water. At that time, it will be time for the SnoBear! We are taking reservations for guided SnoBear trips right now, and you can find more info on our website under the ice fishing tab. I hope you enjoy the beautiful Labor Day weekend that is forecast. For more information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Walleyedan
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
We have been getting out on area lakes the last couple weeks. Even though it’s January and we have had some really cold weather ice depths still vary between 9-18 inches depending on the lake. Make sure you check ice before assuming it’s safe and stay away from the moving water areas. (Channel, harbors, bridges, etc.)
Walleyes have been biting ok on most lakes with the mornings and evenings being the most productive and the occasional fish caught during the mid day. Depths vary from 10-50 feet of water depending on the lake and time of day but the 18-30 foot depths have been most consistent. Try working inside corners, tips of points, mid lake humps, or weedlines in these depths with a shiner on a deadstick, jigging rapala, or jigging spoon with a minnow head.
Crappies are biting good on most area lakes. Look to the smaller area lakes and the bays for the most success. Muddy water can be productive during the day but the clear water lakes are a good morning and evening bite. Try the usual mud basin crappie holes or cabbage beds during the morning or evenings with a small jig and waxy, deadstick and crappie minnow, or small jigging rapala if they are aggressive.
To book a Snobear trip with us call Shelley at 218-839-5598!
Good Luck and Fish Safe,
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
Good morning! It’s cold and it’s windy. In order to make ice on the big lakes, we will need that wind to pipe down! The lakes that are frozen are going to grow ice really fast, and that’s going to make for an interesting winter I do believe. Main Gull is wide open, but some of the lakes on the chain have 6 inches and are gaining each hour. I have not been ice fishing, as I am still chasing the “other” whitetail. I will need to get my rear in gear quite soon, because I have a feeling the SnoBear is going to go into service in about 7 days (or less). If you are looking for a good multi-species lake, try the 371 bay of North Long. Round is frozen too, as is the case with a lot of the smaller lakes and bays up here. Just be sure to use caution as you head out onto any of the lakes this winter. And remember, ice fishing isn’t rocket science. It can be made as simple or as technical as you would like. Simple is good and I think you will find it’s really good for the soul! If you are more into the technical, boy do we have some goods for you too!
Play it safe,
Walleyedan
Walleyes are in their fall patterns and relating to the deeper parts of the lake. Look for areas with deep water close by and fish the steep breaklines focusing on the 25-45 foot depths during the daytime but don’t be afraid to look shallower or deeper as well. They will use the entire water column this time of year. Trust your electronics to see them. (Tip: Use the zoom mode on your sonar screen to see fish that are holding tight to the bottom. Makes a big difference.) Use live bait rigs with big chub minnows, 1/4 ounce jigs with rainbows, or jigging Rapalas. At night troll the shallow sand and rocks with big stick baits like Rapala Husky Jerks and focus in on the 4-10 foot depths.
Crappies are starting to stage in their winter areas suspended over deep water holes. Using your electronics is key to finding them. Slip float rigs set at the proper depth you’re marking fish with crappie minnows or plastics are working well. Also try small jigging Rapalas too.
Good Luck,
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
We are finally starting to see some walleyes push out to a little deeper water using our Humminbird units. The deep weed lines in 15-22 feet seem to be the best right now with some fish coming from as deep as 30 feet on some days. Mid lake humps and structure are holding fish along with shoreline points with weeds and deep water near by. Lindy rigs with chubs, jigs with fatheads, slip floats with leeches, pulling leadcore, or jigging raps are all producing fish and all worth trying. North Long and The Whitefish Chain have had the best bites recently. Remember to pay attention to the wind direction.
Bass are biting in many ways. Top water in the pads with frogs, or fishing them under docks or on deep weed lines with jig worms. You can also choose to go with live bait and rig sucker minnows on deep weed edges.
For Pike try trolling or casting big spinnerbaits tipped with sucker minnows.
Good Luck,
Walleye fishing has been good in the BLA! North Long, Gull, and Whitefish are all producing well. Fish are in their full time summer patterns with the bulk of them being shallow in the weeds. Working the inside and outside of the weed lines with Lindy rigs and redtails, leeches, or crawlers has been working. Along with jigging fatheads on the weed lines or slip floating leeches in the weed pockets. If the weather is calm try trolling spinners over the weeds and cover water to pick off biters. Look to the mid lake structure and fish the wind in 10-18 feet of water.
Bass are biting in the weeds in 8-16 feet of water. Use Berkley 7” Powerworms, drop shots with your favorite plastic, or leeches for live bait. They are fairly concentrated so when you find one there is likely to be many more close by.
For Pike try casting big spinnerbaits tipped with sucker minnows or pulling big sucker minnows on live bait rigs over the weeds.
Goodluck,