*Home Sweet Home*
Fishing Report In Your Area
Forums-Hot Tips-Secrets
FREE Classifieds-WI MN
Gear So Advanced It's Easy
Business Services
The Fishin' Lounge-Live Chat
Minnesota Fishing Guides
Statewide Resort Directory
Statewide Campsite Listing
Lakes Information
Walleye News
Ice Fishing-IceLeaders
Site Map

 Connect with
 100s of thousands of Friends

Do you operate a well-run business that caters to anglers? Most of them want to know more about you. Would you like to discover how to reach them?
Click here and find out.

A satisfied FishingMinnesota member says,
"Business has been very good. We're filling the cabins, and also our RV overflow sites. Some have mentioned your site. Thanks for your help!"

It's been a great couple of weeks of fishing since my last report. In general, water temps are coming up nicely now. I'm seeing upper 60's in the big water main lakes, and low 70's back in the bays. The hot, calm, stable weather has been nice to fish in, and it has opened up the door for sight fishing many species, which has been really fun. Don't know about you, but I've gotten somewhat used to it being windy all the time. This week of calm weather has really been a treat!

Bass fishing has been fabulous all over the Brainerd area. We've been getting them up shallow with scum frogs, mid depth with spinnerbaits, and out on the weedline with jigs and plastic worms. We've gotten some nice largemouth, but the smallmouth have been just awesome. We boated some fish this week up to 21 inches. Some fish (smallies) are still bedded, but lots of cruisers out there as well. We're getting the smallies on x-raps, and jigs.

We've been picking up lots of pike on the area lakes as well, mostly using spinnerbaits on the weedlines. Quite a number of northerns in the 5-10# class, which is definitely above average.

Walleye fishing has been phenominal...I've been spending most of my time over on Mille Lacs. We've been getting the eyes all over the lake...gravel, mud, sand, and even bullrushes. We've gotten some fish on the mud flats rigging, but have been doing the best with slip bobbers. Shermans Flat was great yesterday for us. Our best walleye bite has been in the weeds, with everything from jigs to rapalas to musky jerk baits. We've even been sight fishing some fish way up shallow on the sand and in the bullrushes. Don't expect to catch much to eat over there, but if you want to catch a bunch of really nice fish, Mille Lacs is the place to be. 40+ walleyes in the past two days, and not one under 22".

Unfortunately, musky fishing is still really slow. Pretty much everyone I talk to is seeing a fish here and there, but not much for takers. They're going to cut loose one of these days soon. Who knows, maybe it will be another Leech Lake rampage all over again?

Tim Anderson
Big Fish Hunt
by Jason Erlandson
August 7, 2008

I think this is the time of the summer that they refer to as the dog days. Sometimes it is hard to figure out what they mean. Because the fishing sure hasn't been bad lately. For most anglers it has been downright outstanding. Sure the walleye fishing has been a little slow, but what can we really expect. I think that the fish are enjoying the stable weather we have been blessed with recently.

If you are in the mood for some plain old fish catching action, set your sights on Mr. Largemouth Bass. They have been super aggressive in the past few weeks. Some of the best techniques have been jigs and small redtail chubs, jigs and plastic worms, spinnerbaits, or one of my favorite things to try the artificial frog. They are hiding everywhere on just about any lake. The MN Bound crew was in town for their invitational bass tournament. What an event it was. It showcased the talents of some of the greatest anglers in Minnesota history. After two great days on the water of Gull Lake local pro Richie Boggs was victorious with a hefty catch. Way to go Richie! The pike activity has really picked up recently. We had a dad and son in the bait shop a couple of days ago. They reported catching over 60 pike. They had a busy day on the water. Some of the best pike lures have been jigs and sucker minnows or spinnerbaits tipped with minnows. Panfish are biting well and make for a great fish fry.

Nice bluegills are biting great in 12-20 feet. The nice ones prefer feather jigs like a Northland Fire-Fly jig. Use small leeches, worms, or wax worms for the best results. The walleyes haven't totally shut down. You can still catch a few on the bigger lakes such as Gull, Whitefish, or Pelican. Most of the walleyes are hanging out in the weeds in 12-16 feet. They seem to be moving in and out of the weeds. When they are more active they will come out to the weed edge. The best way to get at these weed walleyes is pitching jigs and small redtails, pulling spinners and nightcrawlers, or trolling small Rapalas over the tops of the weeds. As the nights start cooling off, look for the walleyes to get much more active. The bite could start to pick up at any time. So I guess if this is the dog days of summer, I know that I am a big fan of dog days.

Jason Erlandson
Sportland Bait

Brainerd Area Ice Fishing Reports - Click Here to sponsor this report.

S & W Bait & Tackle
(218) 829-7010
4977 Hwy 371 N
Brainerd MN 56401