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
June 28, 2016
The walleye bite throughout June has been good! We have been fishing Gull, Round, and the Whitefish Chain the most and all are producing fish. We are starting to see fish transition into those mid summer areas around mid lake structure, edges of flats extending out into the deep water basins, and thicker cabbage weed areas where they will spend most of their summer. Fishing the wind blown structure has been helpful, as always with walleyes. The bite on Gull and Round has been predominately leeches and night crawlers fished in many different ways. Target the 9-14 foot depths. Start with a live bait rig and a 3-4 foot snell. I like to use a floating jig head or a float on the main line when fishing leeches and crawlers. Don’t be afraid to get in the weeds and pull the rig fast to trigger bites. On the Whitefish Chain we have been fishing a little deeper in the 15-25 foot depths and using a live bait rig with a Redtail minnow, jigging Rapala, or pulling crawlers on a spinner or slow death hook. There was a recent bug hatch and covering water with crawlers sometimes is the best option when this happens.
Bass are biting in the weeds and it’s getting into jig worm time. A 3/32 ounce mushroom head jig with a Berkley 7 inch powerworm fished over the deep weedline will do the trick. If your fishing a little shallower wacky rig a Senko worm.
The panfish bite is going good as well in the 7-12 foot depths around the thicker weeds. Small leeches fished under a float worked well this week on a panfish trip. Keep moving around until you find the fast and furious action.
Good Luck Fishing,
Nick Miltimore
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
Larson FX Series Promotional Team
218-232-7277
The walleye bite has been pretty good in the Brainerd/Nisswa area over the last week. We are targeting water in the 12-20 foot range during the daytime hours depending on the lake. A jig and shiner minnow is still working some days but we have seen the crawler and leech bite really pick up this last week. Slip weight rigging a nightcrawler or leech on a 3-5 foot snell with a single hook has been productive. If they won’t bite it right away add a little speed to try to trigger the bite. Anywhere around good weeds or on the sand is a good place to start looking. On a calm day with a good pair of polarized sunglasses you can actually see the walleyes cruising the shallows. Pike and bass have been very active in the shallows and crappies are still being found on beds in the reeds or also over the top of cabbage weeds. Beetle spins or slip bobbers are taking these fish. Water temps are mid to low 60’s.
Good Luck Fishing,
Nick Miltimore
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
Larson FX Series Promotional Team
218-232-7277
Well the first week of the 2016 MN walleye season is in the books! Here in the BLA we are targeting shallower water in the 8-15 foot range. If you can find last years cabbage weeds that are still standing and now greening up again with sand close by that is a good place to start. Check the inside edge where the sand meets the weeds. On calm days you can see them cruising the shallow sand areas close to weeds. I’ve been targeting them with 1/8 and 1/16 ounce jigs tipped with a spot tail shiner minnow. Otherwise try live bait rigging a spot tail as well. Trolling crankbaits after dark is producing some fish as well. Troll the shallow sand flats in 4-7 feet of water. For crappies start looking up in the pencil reeds as they should be on their beds. Plastics or a crappie minnow on a 1/32 ounce jig should do the trick. Have a good weekend!
– Nick Miltimore
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
The walleye bite is heating up! They are giving us a bit of a “preview” of the fall bite as the water temps quickly dropped from the cold weather we received last week. It should only keep getting better from here out. We are getting walleyes on humps and step breaklines off of weeds or large flats anywhere from 13 – 33 feet of water depending on the conditions and lake. Gull and Whitefish seem to be the lakes to be on. Slip weight rigging a creek chub or redtail with a 2.5 – 6 foot snell or ripping a Rapala Jigging Rap have been whats working for me. These fish are easy to pick out on the electronics so move around until you locate them. Check us out online at www.walleyedan.com or call 218-839-5598 to book a trip and get in on the action!
– Nick Miltimore
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
Good morning and Merry Christmas to you and your families.The weather has been on a little bit of a roller coaster ride this fall (winter actually begins tomorrow). As far as the ice conditions, they are pretty darn good! I was on Gull Lake the night before last (12/18) and we had about 12 inches of good solid ice. We also caught fish on that night. We were using jigging spoons and also tip-ups in 17-20 feet of water. The jigging spoons were 1/8 ounce and we were using just the head of the minnow. My busy season is about to begin with the SnoBear and I guess that means it’s about time to make my final push for the deer. I was happy to get out and hunt pheasants the other day too, what a blast it was! We hunted some private property and the birds were plenty! The new season of “We Love It! Outdoors” begins next week and we have some pretty cool shows on tap for the 2015 season. Tune in and also keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Merry Christmas and blessed 2015!
Walleyedan
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
This starts the best time of year for fishing in the Brainerd Lakes Area, that is not just my opinion. Of course catching fish is still not automatic, but it gets pretty close as we move on through September. I was last out on Gull last Friday with Dave Copham and his buddies Rick and Mick and we managed 11 walleyes during our evening trip. Then it was over to Mille Lacs on Saturday for a little musky fishing where I met up with Brian and Ray Dewitt. It was a gorgeous day and we ended up with two follows and saw another from a distance. My wife and son met me over there for the afternoon and we ended up finding a nice school of large, smallmouth bass! What a blast it is reeling in a 17-21 inch smallmouth, Shelley though she had a musky on. So, the fishing action is heating up, but it’s also deer opener on Saturday here in Minnesota and Wisconsin. I’m looking forward to getting out with my son here in MN and with Todd Hess over in Wisconsin. We will be hunting with crossbow in WI, as they are now opening that up to the general public this year. One more thing to add to the calendar, the 2nd annual Walleyedan’s Fishing To End Hunger walleye tournament coming up on October 4th on the Gull Lake Chain. Head over to www.fishingtoendhunger.com for more details! Kids Against Hunger Brainerd Lakes Area is the beneficiary! Bye for now!, Walleyedan
Walleyedan
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
Welcome anglers summer has finally arrived. Fishing has picked up with the warming water. Walleyes are biting with lots of pike and bass mixed in. I’ve also been catching some nice panfish. The streams are still flowing hard with all the rain so trout fishing has been slow. The trout lakes have been good with high stocking numbers. Hope you can come up and enjoy our beautiful area lakes. And remember Get Outdoors!!!!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs
I’d like to welcome everyone to spring. It’s finally here. The trees and plants are blooming the water is warming and we are for good times on the water. The walleye fishing is still a little slow but there are still a lot of bass and pike mixed in to keep the poles bent. The pan fishing has been awesome . The trout fishing is good in lakes but still tough in streams with the water still real high. Most of the suckers are leaving creeks and heading into the lake. Thanks again for checking in and remember GET OUTDOORS !!!!!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs
Welcome fishermen to the 2014 open water season!!!. What a great opener. We had some of the best weather I can remember for the walleye opener. We had the governors opener here in the Brainerd area and had a chance to spend two days educating local youths (4th graders) on fishing related subjects. We had a solid opener with the walleyes being a little tough but with the presence of pike and bass in the same areas it made for a great week-end. The panfish have invaded the shallows looking for the warm water and biting good. There are still suckers in some of the creeks for some great action. Make sure and plan ahead and book your trips early to get your day on the water with me. Thanks for checking in and remember Get Outdoors !!!!!!!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs
Hello from the epicenter of fresh water fishing!! The excitement is starting to rise to the surface as we get closer to the 2014 Minnesota Fishing Opener. Those toothy critters (walleyes and northerns) are going to be fair game once again starting at midnight on the 10th of May (Saturday). Our guides are in semi-scramble mode as we all are either getting ready to or are currently loading up the boats with rods, reels, tackle boxes, tools, lifejackets and all the other goodies that we bring with us on the water. We all have brand spanking new Larson FX fishing boats this spring and they are very sharp! As for the fishing, I think it’s going to be good.
The Minnesota Governors Opener is on Gull Lake this year and that is where I will be along with 100 plus other anglers on opening day. The walleye population is good and I know for a fact that the crappies are biting too. My dad has been catching them from shore. The walleyes are going to be pretty darn shallow and the top presentations will be jigs and minnows, live bait rigs and minnows, crank baits such as the Salmo Hornet and jigs and Gulp Alive!
Our guide service has a pretty cool contest going on form opener to close (of the walleye season). It’s the Walleye Lotto and we will have more info on the www.walleyedan.com website very soon. It’s going to be an exciting year and it’s shaping up to be a pretty darn busy one too. “Jingles the Fish” is who you want to catch, but she’s not an easy catch! Have a great day and don’t catch them all,
Walleyedan
Walleyedan’s Guide Service