Anyone been up to the Brainerd Area

I plan on heading up to the Brainerd area on Saturday. Will be close to the Gull lake area. Anyone got info on Large Mouth bassers or them slimy yet fun to catch Pike that they would be willing to share?

Be as detailed as you would like.

PS. ALL fish will be RELEASED!

PSS. PM me if you would like.

Thanks

Haywood

I was up there (east of Brainerd about 18 mi.) with my son last weekend and was targeting largemouth. With the absence of any good weed edge and water temps around 57 we started looking in the shallows. We were able to spot fish swimming around but by the time we saw them they were already on the alert and they bolted off when we threw anything their way. The only way we could catch any of these fish was to fan cast with looooong casts. Another area we found biters was on sand-to-weed shoreline transitions. 75% of the time we would get bit when throwing to sand-to-weed shoreline transitions. Did I mention sand-to-weed shoreline transitions? The areas that held the most consistent bite were the steep shorelines. I also caught my biggest fish of the trip on one of these steep shoreline spots. Don’t forget the docks and the wood, got a few there too. We primarily used texas rigged worms, a few jigs, and spinnerbaits. Good Luck!

We’ll I’ve never fished Gull, but I’d bet a white spinner bait in 6-12 ft would put some snakes on the end of the line.

Hopefully I’ll be in the area in a bit less than 2 weeks.

-Nick

Thanks for the info so far guys. With a lack of weed growth I would bet a suspending minnow may be working as well. I forget that they may be that far behind from where we are in the river.

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Another area we found biters was on sand-to-weed shoreline transitions. 75% of the time we would get bit when throwing to sand-to-weed shoreline transitions. Did I mention sand-to-weed shoreline transitions?

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From the department of redundancy department eh?

I guess it’s a residual from the weekend. I’d tell my son…hey look…a sand-to-weed transition! He’d shrug it off and I’d catch a fish, kids . Here is the big one for the day…

Ya tell a kid, and tell a kid but a beast like that helps his listening skills!

Nice fish

Note to self….sand-to-weed transitions are good

NICE FISH NEWT,

A COUPLE OF GOOD BASS LAKES NEAR GULL ARE MIDDLE CULLEN AND UPPER AND LOWER MISSION. A LOT OF WEED STRUCTURE TO WORK OVER. LOWER CUULEN IS OK FOR BASS, AND THIS LAKE HAS SOME GIANT SCISSOR-BILLS AROUND THE SUNKEN ISLAND IN 17 FEET OF WATER. LOOK OUT FOR A NICE BONUS OF A 5LB PLUS WALLEYE. JUMBO LEECHES ON LINDY RIGS.

I FORGOT TO MENTION LAKE OSSINAWANAMAKEE(MISPELLED) HAS A LOT OF GOOD SIZED SLIME BACKS WILLING TO CHASE BAITS, INCLUDING MUSKIE BAITS.

A group of friends and myself were on Ossiwinamakee(sp?) and pounded the hammer handles. Too bad they were all about 19″ long. We did get some nice Bass and Panfish in there too.

WOo WOooo I’m headin’ up north today, hopefully I cac catch my first eye on crosslake, that and I need to find some crappies. This lake always humbles me

Humbled again Never did catch an eye, after spending no less than 10 hours (total) on several days trying. I did hear of a few caught. I did find a couple nice crappies, but could not put together any pattern, on them, tried tubes lindy rigs, minnows and hooks, worms, beetle spins. alas I conceded defeat.

I think the weather play quite a role in the fishing this weekend, seem slike everyone was having a tough bite too.
On the other hand, Hammer handle pike, most were probably around the 2-3pound range were pleanty abundant, and never too far apart, we did not fish for pike, we did pick them up all weekend.

Basically the fishing could be summed up in 6 words, rock bass, rock bass, rock bass, man did we catch rock bass, dang ugly fish, probably caught 75-100 each, between my GF and I.

I don’t think we were doing things wrong, I did everything, everyone said to do, and then some, I think the fish were a bit off, after lindy rigging, 6-35 ft, over half of a Huge lake, with both leeches and red tailed chubs, with jut a single red hook, and a 4-6 foot snell, speeds from less than 1 mph to upwards or 3.5…

Ohh I did catch my first ever whitefish, which went about 22 inches, hit a jig and minnow, and it was a pretty good fight. Pretty funny when the girl friend said there are whitefish in the lake I , yeah it IS the Whitefish chain…

Do you know what the water temps were? Still hovering around the 60s?

I was up on lake edna, one of the smaller lakes close to Nisswa. The temps were around the mid 60’s. Caught ample fish mainly on Senkos, or the bass pro brand there of. Did manage a 5.2lb 20″ on a spinnerbait at dusk. With the temps heading south and a big storm on Wednesday all and all not to bad of a week.

I’ll be heading that way in a couple of weeks. I’m sure looking forward to it. Would be nice to know a little about what the fish are doing on Gull and Whitefish. Nice to see some chatter about them.

Curt

I’m headin up next monday for the week. It sounds like things might finally be heating up.
on the 20 incher Haywood, any pics??

I seen 63 or so to 64 or so on crosslake, I bet it’s changing pretty quick right now.

I think the site needs a brainerd area forum, which would include Gull lake which is already a forum…

Curt the one of the guys I talked to, about whitefish, said he was on lower whitefish, fishing 12 foot or so, with white/black spinner rigs, with crawlers, and got a few.