12-21-06

Action continues about the same as last week.  Ice conditions are anywhere from 6-9 inches on most lakes.  Be careful as you go out and stop in to check the latest at the bait shop.  Anglers are reporting good success on Gull and Pelican.  Most fish have been on the small size.  We've had a couple of reports of a big fish here and there, nine pounds is the biggest so far.  That one came out of Gull.  We have been fishing the shoreline structure, by next week we should start exploring a little farther out.  The best depths this week for walleyes has been 20-30 feet.  Glow Devil jigging spoons are working pretty good for the walleyes.  For crappies try the smaller lakes like Nisswa, Cullen, Sylvan, or Gladstone.  Pike are on the prowl along the weedlines.  Smaller lakes or bays of the bigger lakes are all producing pike.  A shiner minnow on a tip-up in 10-14 feet of water seems to work pretty good.  Good Luck everyone and enjoy the Holidays.  Merry Christmas!

12-12-06

The ice fishing season is off and running now.  So far a pretty good start.  We would like to have a little more cold weather to build some more ice.  As we are sitting right now most lakes have 6-8.5 inches, but there are still quite a few bad spots.  So please use caution and check as you go.  Good walleye reports are coming from anglers fishing Round, North Long, Pelican, and around the edges of Gull.  It has been a mix of action on both Golden Shiners and jigging with fatheads.  The pike action has been good just about anywhere that you find weeds.  A tip up and a shiner or sucker minnow is a deadly combo for pike right now.  Crappies and sunfish are starting to get going now.  Try glow jigs tipped with a maggot or a crappie minnow on any small lake or bay for the best panfish action.  With Christmas coming up don't forget to get the sportsman in your life some new fishing gear.  There are some awesome new gadgets on the shelves that would make any fisherman smile.  Good Luck this week and be safe.

12-03-06

Ice fishing has started and old Jack Frost is here all week to kick it off.  We are making lots of ice this week as temps are forecasted to stay below freezing for the next 4-5 days.  Should be able to make an inch per day at this rate.  Many anglers have started out on the lakes that have frozen over.  Some folks are even catching a few fish.  Gull still had waves this afternoon but anglers are fishing Round, North Long, Edwards, and Pelican for walleyes.  As well as some smaller lakes and bays for panfish and pike.  Most anglers are reporting 3-6 inches of ice and growing.  Should be a busy weekend coming up as more water becomes fishable.  Looks like a great start to the season.  Be sure to stop in and check out all the latest gear, the shelves are stocked and the bait tanks are full.

11-17-06

Most folks up here in the north country have been focused on the hunting season.  I haven't seen any huge monster bucks just yet, but I'll still get in a few days with my bow and arrows before winter sets in.  A buddy of mine did harvest a nice 200 plus pound brute with a 10 point rack.  The pheasant season has been going gangbusters in the Dakotas and the farm country here in Minnesota.  We've been chasing roosters quite a bit this fall.  We had one of those bad shooting days this week.  Lots of decent chances, I'm sure our dogs were wondering what was wrong with us.  I guess we left a few for next year.  Soon enough we will be getting ready for the ice fishing season.  Within a few weeks we should have some ice and I will keep you posted daily on the developments.  As always we will have the freshest bait in the area and the best selection ice fishing tackle in this part of the state.  We wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.

09-27-06

The fall bite has been great.  Gull has been the most consistent leading back into the summer, but some of the other lakes are starting to hit full stride.  Other lakes that are worth trying are North Long, Edwards, and Pelican.  Walleyes are biting on a variety of set ups.  Lindy rigs and minnows, jigs and minnows, or trolling crankbaits are all producing decent action.  As the lake temps are dropping we are seeing some bigger fish showing up in our daily catches.  The fish are starting to stack up on their normal fall locations and are anywhere from the weed edges out to 30-40 feet.  The best baits this fall have been Redtail chubs, Creek chubs, or Rainbows.  The fall bite should stay pretty good for the next two to three weeks.  Most folks are starting to pull their boats and close up the cabins so the lakes are pretty quiet now.  If you are looking for a place to store your boat for the winter give us a call.  We have some of the best indoor storage facilities in the Brainerd Lakes area.

09-01-06

Our fishing guides have had a busy week.  We've been chasing those finny creatures pretty much everyday.  Walleye fishing has been tremendous.  Most of time has been spent on Gull Lake and the Whitefish Chain.  We are starting to see more instability in the weather patterns so fish have been a little less predictable.  One day they are here the next they are gone, so keep hopping around trying different spots until you find them.  Redtail chubs are still the go to bait.  We've also had some great fishing using creek chubs.  On Gull we are finding lots of smaller fish on the north half of the lake, the south end has produced better sized walleyes and a handful of pike mixed in on our trips.  We've been keying on weedlines from 12-16 feet of water.  The Whitefish Chain has also produced some great fishing for walleyes and pike.  On Whitefish we have found the walleyes to be in 22-28 feet.  The fall bite is right around the corner.  It is showing no signs of slowing.  The bookings are getting pretty heavy for our guides in the next month but we still have a few openings.  Be sure to give us a call soon if you want to get in on the action.
 

08-11-06

The fishing continues to be good here in the Nisswa area. Walleyes are biting on Redtail Chubs along the weedlines of Gull Lake. The best depths have been 12-20 feet. The pike action has also been good. Sucker minnows are producing some nice pike in 20 feet of water.

Spinnerbaits are also producing some pike along with lots of bass. The bass fishing has been great on all of the area lakes. The crappie fishing has been spotty, but the best luck has been had in the evening hours. Good Luck this week.

07-27-06

“Walleye Madness” is the theme this week as the hot July fishing continues. We’ve never seen anything like it in our 31 years here at the tackle store. We’re experiencing some of the best fishing in July ever. Our fishing guides have had some awesome trips this week. The walleyes on Gull Lake are pounding every Redtail Chub in sight. Anglers are having the best success fishing the mid lake areas along the weed edges from 13-18 feet of water. Time of day doesn’t seem to matter too much as long as there is a little breeze. We’re hoping that this hot bite will continue into the fall. The Whitefish Chain has also been a top producer the last couple of weeks. We are seeing a nice mix of chunky walleyes and scrappy pike coming out of Whitefish right now. The bass bite is still phenomenal on all the lakes here in the Nisswa area. Jigs and Berkley Gulp tails are really working well along the deep weedlines. If you want to catch some bass just pick a lake and go, it is just that easy. The bluegill bite is starting to pick up now as anglers are catching a nice mess of them in 15 feet of water on small leeches. The evening crappie bite is good for anglers slow trolling over the tops of the weeds. Small jigs and plastic tails are fooling the crappies. Our guides are hitting the water hard right now so call the latest reports. Good Luck!

07-21-06

“Hammering Them”, “Pounding the Walleyes”, “Caught Our Limit”, are usually not the quotes that we hear in July. For some strange reason that is what is happening right now out on Gull Lake. If you were able to brave the heat this last week you were able get some walleyes. The fish have been stacked up along the weedlines from 13-17 feet. Successful anglers along with our fishing guides are all using redtail chubs on a lindy rig with a plain snell about 4 feet in length. A few fish were also caught on nightcrawlers. The Whitefish chain has also been productive this week. For consistent all day action try bass fishing. Bass are hitting on all of our lakes. Plastic worms such as Berkley’s Gulp is really working well in 8-12 feet of water. The pike action has been good on the south end of Gull or up in Roy lake on the Gull chain. Trolling with spinnerbaits is producing pike. The crappie bite in the evenings is good. We’ve been using Northland Thumper Jigs and small plastic tails. The sunnies are biting anywhere you dunk a worm.
 

07-10-06

The walleye action has been pretty good here on Gull Lake. We have caught some decent 14-17 inch fish. Our guide trips even produced a few limits. The whitefish chain has also been pretty productive. We’ve been finding most of the walleyes on the weedlines in 14-18 feet and we are catching them on redtails. A few anglers have also reported good catches trolling Rapala Shad Raps. Maybe all of this is from the full moon cycle. Whatever the reason, we love it. Along with the walleyes everyone is catching lots of bass. Jigs and plastic worms are our go to bass baits right now. Pitch the worms along the weed edges and you’ll catch bass. The pike are actively cruising the weed edges and are gobbling up spinnerbaits tipped with a minnow. Gull, Whitefish, or Lake Edwards are great choices for pike. The sunfish and crappies are also biting well on most lakes. Hang a worm or small leech in 10-14 feet for fast panfish action. Be sure to keep your live bait on ice this time of the year. Temps in the 80s are brutal. Good Luck.

07-06-06

The boats are out in full force this 4th of July week and the fish are cooperating. The bass are jumping in the boat. Our fishing guides have been on the water a lot this week. They are saying the bass are very active on the inside and outside weedlines. The key depths have been 6-16 feet. Good baits to try are the Berkley Gulp worms on a mushroom head jig or a small redtail chub. Pretty much every lake in the Nisswa area is producing bass. We are catching a few walleyes mixed in with the bass. Whitefish and North Long are the best bets for walleyes. Try redtails or leeches in 14-20 feet. The pike fishing is picking up and should keep getting better with the warm weather. Trolling Rapala lures of spinnerbaits tipped with a small sucker minnow is producing some dandy pike. Troll the 8-12 foot range for best results. Crappies and bluegills are biting well in the evenings on most lakes in 10-13 feet. Small jigs and plastics or small leeches are catching limits. One of our customers had a big surprise a mere 5 minutes into a walleye fishing trip this morning. She set the hook into a whopper out on Gull she fought it like a pro, but a few minutes later we all realized it was a giant dogfish. So I guess the dogfish are on a hot bite too!

06-29-06

The fishing here in the Nisswa area is starting to move into summer mode. Meaning that the walleyes are starting to slow down and everything else is picking up. We’ve picked up a few walleyes this week but it is slower. The best lakes have been the Whitefish Chain, Edwards, North Long and of course Mille Lacs. On Mille Lacs we’ve had good success live bait rigging with leeches and spinner rigs with nightcrawlers. On the other lakes we’ve caught some nice fish using lively redtails or creek chubs.  The walleyes have been the most active in 13-18 feet along the weed edges of windswept points. The bass fishing is fantastic in 6-12 feet on most of the area lakes.  Bass up to 5 pounds are being caught on a regular basis. Our guides are saying that 50 fish days are the norm this week.  The pike are also active along the weed edges. Spinners and minnows are working for nice pike on Gull, Whitefish, and some of the smaller lakes.  Crappies are starting to feed in the evenings in 12 feet of water. Try slow trolling thumper jigs during the last hour of the day. Sunfish are showing up in 12-16 feet.  When you find the sunfish they are like piranhas. Just put a small leech or worm in the water and they will attack.

06-20-06

We ended the week with an all day rain-shower but it cleared up just in time for a beautiful fathers day. The walleye action has been spotty on our lakes right here in Nisswa, but Mille Lacs has continued to be red hot. On Mille Lacs we have been catching most fish on live bait rigs or spinners tipped with leeches or nightcrawlers. The edges and tops of the mud flats are just full of hungry walleyes right now. Close to home the best reports are coming from North Long, Edwards, and the Whitefish Chain. Redtails are producing the best results along the weedlines from 13-22 feet of water. As the lakes are becoming busier, concentrate on the morning and evening hours for the best walleye action. The bass and northern pike bite is tremendous all day long on most of our lakes. Fish the weed flats with spinnerbaits or Senko style worms. 4-12 feet has been very productive this week. Crappies are starting to bite in the evenings in 10-12 feet of water. Try Northland Thumper jigs or crappie minnows for the crappies. Sunfish are also biting in deeper water. You can catch sunnies on small leeches in 10-15 feet just outside the weeds on most lakes.

06-13-06

The fishing this week has been nothing short of phenomenal.  This week we fished Mille Lacs Lake numerous times.  The lake is full of fish right now and the size of the walleyes are a nice mix of 15-28 inchers.  Morning, noon, or night, it doesn't seem to matter.  Limits of walleyes are pretty common.  The fish just keep feeding everywhere from the mud flats, to the rock piles, to the sand and gravel areas.  On our trips we caught most of our fish on big jumbo leeches, but nightcrawlers are producing some hefty catches as well.  Our guides scored big on some chunky walleyes the last couple of days out on Gull Lake.  The secret was live bait rigging redtail chubs in 18-22 feet.  Leeches are producing walleyes on North Long Lake in the evening too.  The bass are slurping up everything in sight.  Check out the the shallow weed edges or weed flats for fast bass action.  The pike are chomping on jigs and sucker minnows worked slowly in 12-16 feet.  The crappies are starting hit small jigs and plastics or crappie minnows out on the weedlines in 10-12 feet of water.  The bluegills are also starting to move out of the shallows.  Enjoy the early summer bite!

06-07-06

We are now starting to catch a mixed bag of fish here in the Nisswa area. The bass are practically jumping in the boat. Anglers are catching a ton of bass on small spinnerbaits, plastic worms, or tube style baits. Bass are hanging in the shallows and out on the shallow weed flats from 3-10 feet. The pike action is also heating up. The south end of Gull is producing some nice fish up to 10 pounds on live bait rigs and redtail chubs or sucker minnows. Trolling has also produced the pike. The crappies are still a bit of a mystery since they spawned. Look for the crappies to start showing up in 10-12 feet of water along the weed edges. Bluegills are spawning and are easy targets. Just throw some worms or small leeches in the shallows for some great action. Walleye action has been fantastic on Mille Lacs. We are seeing some great catches from all over the lake. You can catch them on the mud flats, rock reefs, or on the north end sand. Lindys and leeches or a slip bobber and a leech is really putting fish in the boat. Other lakes that are producing are Gull, Edwards, and Round. Try fishing redtail chubs in 12-22 feet for the best action. The lakes are pretty quiet from the lack of boat traffic. So enjoy it while you can, July is coming soon.

05-30-06

Mother nature blessed us with a beautiful weekend. The temps hovered in the 90s making the lakes the place to be. The walleye fishing has come back to normal. The day bite is now hit or miss, but the night fishing is really picking up. During the day try lindy rigs and leeches or nightcrawlers in 13-20 feet of water. After dark, anglers are having good success trolling Rapala lures in 4-8 feet. Some lakes that have produced decent results this week were Mille Lacs, Edwards, North Long, and the Whitefish Chain. The bass season opened with a bang as nearly everyone found the bass easy targets. Pike fishing really has picked up with the hot, sticky weather. The pike are cruising the shallow weed flats. Sucker minnows are working well. The crappie fishing has slowed as they are starting to disperse from the shallows. Bluegills are biting at a furious pace as they prepare to spawn. Look for the bigger bluegills to be hitting small leeches or worms during the next week or so.

05-22-06

The walleye fishing continues to be phenomenal in the Nisswa area.  Gull Lake, Pelican, Mille Lacs, and a few small lakes continue to produce limits.  Along with the smaller keeper sized fish our guides boated some real dandies in the 5-7pound range.  Those big ones are still swimming.  We've also seen some fish up to 29 inches this week.  Live bait rigs tipped with shiner minnows have been working very well.  Anglers are reporting good catches from many depths.  Walleyes have been scattered from 12-40 feet.  I would recommend starting at the weedline and working deeper until you contact active fish.  15-22 feet has been a consistent depth for me.  The pike fishing has been on the slow side, but a few fish have been taken on good sized sucker minnows.  The crappie fishing has been a bit slow as the crappies are in the spawning phase.  Check out the bulrushes for those big black crappies.  Dangle a crappie minnow or small plastic tail under a bobber and see what happens.  The sunfish are very hungry up in the shallows.  Just grab a small box of wax worms and you are set for some fast bluegill action.

05-15-06

It was the best walleye opener we've seen in years.  Anglers braved the rainy, windy conditions and it really paid off.  What an awesome weekend.  Anglers are catching lots of fish on Gull.  Most fish are on the small side but anglers picked through the little ones to find enough keepers.  Some of the lucky anglers had to make 2-3 trips to the bait shop each day.  The fishing was just that good.  Limits were fairly common.  The best reports came from Gull Lake, but good reports also came from Edwards and Mille Lacs.  Most boats caught fish on Lindy rigs and lively shiners.  The fish are hanging out just off the edges of the new weedlines in 10-18 feet.  The crappie fishing has shown mixed results, mostly due to the goofy weather.  Some of the best crappie lakes are Hubert, Margaret, the Cullen Chain and Whitefish.  Crappie minnows worked best over the weekend.  It was a great start to the season.

05-08-06

Over the weekend the crappies were hitting great. Anglers did real well on Margaret, Hubert, Wilson Bay, and the Whitefish Chain. Seems like whenever we have nice weather the crappies are active. The best fishing recently has taken place out in the lakes. The channel areas are still producing a few crappies but lots of sunfish.

For crappies most were using crappie minnows and the sunnies were biting on wax worms. The lakes are primed for the walleye opener this weekend. Many of our fishing guides are predicting a good opener especially on Gull. The numbers of walleyes in Gull right now is outstanding. Shiner minnows always work best early in the season. Some of the lakes that traditionally open good here in the Nisswa area are Gull, Round, Edwards, Pelican, and Upper Hay. We’ll be here all weekend to help everyone get geared up and pointed in the right direction.

05-01-06

Well if you were asking for rain looks like you got your wish.  Despite the conditions the crappies are still biting great.  This time of the year just look to the shallows.  The warmer water draws panfish in like flies to stink.  Some of the hot spots lately have been the Bar Harbor Docks, the Cullen Lake Chain, Lake Hubert, North Long Lake, and some of the many smaller lakes in the Brainerd area.  We've had a couple of guide trips for crappies this week.  Best results came from casting a small bobber with a puddle jumper on a small jighead.  We've also caught some decent crappies on small crappie minnows.  If you like catching big sunfish, you are in luck.  The big sunnies have really been biting good on small hair jigs and wax worms or small leeches.  The sunnies have been hanging out in the backs of small bays and canals.  If you want to get out after these big spring crappies please give us a call.

04-20-06

The crappies are really putting smiles on faces around here. The fishing in the channel areas is getting quite good. The Bar Harbor and Breezy Point docks are producing along with North Long, Mission Lake, Margaret, and the Whitefish Chain. With all of this sunshine it just keeps getting better as the crappies pour into the shallows. Crappie minnows on a small jig seem to be working best. Time of day doesn’t matter a whole lot, the fish are biting all day long. The sunfish are biting good too in the same areas. Wax worms are producing nice big sunnies. Time to play hooky and go catch a mess of slab crappies and sunnies.

04-09-06

The open water season 2006 is upon us.  My wife and I hit the open water this afternoon.  The weather was great and the crappies were cooperating.  The action was best when the wind was making a small ripple on the water.  When the water was flat calm the crappies went into hiding.  Along with the crappies lots of bass were feeding up.  It was a great start to the season.  With the forecasted weather this upcoming week the lakes should all open up, its looking like temps in the 60s.  As of today the bigger lakes had a little open water on the edges.  The smaller lakes, bays and channels were opening up.  It won't be long now.  We had the best luck fishing deep weeds with jigs and plastics.  Stop in or call for the latest, we'll be out checking the hot spots.

03-28-06

We are still waiting for the crappies to hit their spring feeding binge.  So far it has been very sporadic, but it was better this week compared to last.  A few crappies are starting to move out of the deep holes.  They are in transition to the shallow weed flats.  Sunfish have been biting very good in recent days.  They are running on the small side.  A scattered crappie is being caught along with the sunnies.  For best results use a small ice jig tipped with a wax worm.  Some good lakes are Round, North Long, Nisswa, and Margaret.  Open Water is right around the corner, time to start getting the gear ready.  If you can't wait, hook on the boat and hit one of the rivers.  See you down at the Northwest Sportshow.

03-21-06

Despite some nice fishing conditions last week, the panfish just haven't been very cooperative.  Anglers are catching a few small crappies on various smaller lakes in the area, but reports seem to be very scattered.  There's not much consistency. 

03-14-06

The bite has taken a turn for the better this last week.  Maybe the fish are getting spring fever just like everyone else around here.  We've heard some decent reports from a variety of lakes lately.  So if you have a favorite lake you may want to check it out.  Some of the hot spots have been Margaret, Cullen, Hubert, Sibley, and Gladstone.  It may be worth a trip up to mighty Upper Red.  Word has it that the bite up there for the big slab crappies is really picking up.  The snow conditions have been reduced to near zero on the lakes so it is a good time to stay mobile for the crappies.  The crappies have still been hanging out near the deep holes and the sunfish have been active in 6-12 feet of water. 

03-04-06

Panfishing has been little spotty this week. We’ve seen sporadic success on Margaret, Pelican, Gladstone and Lake Hubert for crappies. It is mostly an evening bite so far. Small glow jigs tipped with wax worms or small crappie minnows are producing the best results. Most fish are still being caught in the deeper holes. Sunfish have been going OK along the weed flats in 8-16 feet of water. Small ant style jigs have worked well lately. The perch bite is going real good on Mille Lacs. Work the edges of the Mud Flats with small jigging spoons. The action should only get better in the coming weeks as the snow begins to melt away.

02-22-06

With the recent cold front the fish activity has slowed. Walleye action is down to one here and one there, and they are real scattered. Most fish that we are seeing on the cameras are just taking a look at the bait and swimming away. They are just not feeding very much. The crappie and sunfish haven’t been the best either. A few fish are being caught on some of the smaller lakes here in the Nisswa area but it isn’t anything to get excited about.

Look for the action to get better as we get some warm weather and progress towards spring. One bright spot has been some good pike fishing on most of our lakes. A tip-up baited with a medium sized sucker minnow has produced quite a few bites for many anglers. 10-18 feet has been the most productive depth for the pike. One last weekend for walleyes and pike, then it’s panfish until May. Good Luck!