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! It doesn’t look like spring is too excited to arrive, the Robin’s are going to hurt their beaks if they come back now. I just returned from Manitoba, where we were filming an episode of “We Love It! Outdoors” on Lake Winnipeg. Giant walleye’s were our target and we accomplished our goal. It wasn’t easy, but we did get a great show for our efforts. This is a must fish, fishery for all of you that are walleye people! I did catch a couple of 9-10 pounders and we also had an 11 and another 10 caught by our crew. Big greenbacks!! Around here we still have a lot of ice, but definitely not as much as they have up there. I had a 24 inch extension on my auger and that was perfect. The pan fish “bite” is about to get fired-up around here and then hopefully we will get in a little time on the Rainy River in search of walleye’s and sturgeon before the gobbling begins! Lots to do and not a lot of time to get it all done! For now, it’s time to gather my bags and head down to the northwest sport show and sell some Larson Boats! Have a great day and we will talk with you later!
Walleyedan
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
Welcome fishermen. We are enjoying a real old fashion winter with great snow and ice conditions. The fishing has been great for panfish and perch. The pike are starting to feed good as they are getting ready for the spring spawn. Walleyes have been a little on the slow side they seem to be affected by the unstable weather we have had. The lake trout have been biting with some real jumbos being caught. Spring is on its way and our summer schedule is filling fast. So give us a call and book your fishing adventure now. Happy New year and remember GET OUTDOORS !!!!!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs
Good, cold morning to you! No school here in the Brainerd, MN district today, it’s 40 something below zero. I am guessing it is warmer where you are (or maybe not). The Extravaganza was here and is now gone and we will have to wait for the silver anniversary to get on that leader board! I think next year will be my year, the world’s largest ice fishing contest is on my birthday next year..January 24th, 2015! It’s a party, anyone can come. The winning fish was a walleye this year and it was about 5 pounds, caught by a man from Nisswa. The fishing was really slow as a cold front decided to sweep on through during the middle of the night. It’s such a fun event, catching fish is really secondary. Overall, fishing in the area has slowed down a bit because of the brutal cold fronts that have settling in. We are continuing to do guided trips and some fish house rentals, but I think we are all ready to order up the new Larson FX series fishing boats and get them ready for the Rainy River come March! If you are interested in booking a guided trip up to the Rainy to fish walleyes and sturgeon, please give us a call and we will work out the details. As for now, it’s time to pray for a beautiful February to close out the “big fish” season and then start to focus on late ice pan fish. The one nice thing about all the snow on the ice is that the ice will hopefully go out earlier than last year (there is only about 20 inches at this time. Enjoy the day and don’t forget to tune in to “We Love It! Outdoors” on Fox, Pursuit and Tuff TV!,
Walleyedan
Walleyedan’s Guide Service
Welcome anglers. The fishing in the Brained area has started to pick up with the walleye and crappie bite being the best option. The bass are still biting on the deep weed lines with some occasional pike mixed in. The fall colors are peaking this week so get up here and enjoy them and catch some fish at the same time. And remember GET OUTDOORS !!!!!!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs
Welcome fishermen and women. Fishing in the Brainerd area has been great. We’ve been catching lots of bass and pike. Walleye fishing has been great at times, but also really slow on certain days. We’ve been string for them for a couple hours and if they don’t cooperate we switch to bass and pike. Trout fishing has slowed with stocked fish being harvested. The panfishing has still been solid with lots of numbers but not the greatest size. So grab your friends and family and come check out our great area. And Get outdoors !!!!!!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs
Welcome fishermen hope you’re having a great summer. We have great water temps for swimming and the Bass and Pike have been going nuts. Walleye fishing has been fair but we haven’t been targeting them that much. Streams are settling down for trout fishing. And trout lakes are still putting fish out. Come on up and let me show you this great area. And remember Get Outdoors !!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs
Welcome to Boggs fishing. We’ve been catching lots of fish lately. Mainly walleye,northern and bass. The weather has been tough but the fishing has been great. The panfishing has also been good but we have been saving that for some filler. Stream trout have been a little slow because of high flow with all the rain we’ve had. The lake trout are biting good with recent stocking. Good luck fishing and let us know if we can help. And remember GET OUTDOORS!!!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs
Welcome anglers spring is here. The ice is mostly gone and the weather has been beautiful . The panfish are starting to bite and the walleyes are coming out of the spawn and putting on the feed bags. We’ve been catching the pike mixed right in with the walleyes. It’s a great time to fish and enjoy the Abundance of wildlife. Openings are available. And remember Get Outdoors!!!!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs
Spring is here anglers!!!!! The lakes are opening and ice fishing is over. The small bays and channels are opening up and the panfish will be looking for the warm mud bottom bays where insects will be hatching. The opener will be interesting to say the least. The pike have mostly spawned, but the walleyes are still in the process. We still have a lot of ice but it is melting fast. Guide trips are booking fast so try to plan ahead. And remember Get Outdoors !!!!!!!!!!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs
Welcome anglers!!! Don’t miss the biggest panfish of the season! Many of these fish are just under the ice where oxygen levels are the highest and snow critters are washing in. We still have good ice just be careful and always check conditions before venturing out. And remember GET OUTDOORS !!!!!!
Fishing Report Archives – Courtesy of Richie Boggs