Brainerd Lakes Area Buzz Bite Report 12-28-2022 AnglingBuzz

Brainerd Lakes Area Buzz Bite Report 12-28-2022

Fishing has been hot and the forecast looks great! We’re seeing fishable ice on most of the lakes in the area and a huge majority of the slush froze with the recent cold snap!

We’re seeing about 8-15 inches of ice in the area, and varying levels of snow due to wind/drifting. Please ensure you’re checking ice conditions frequently,

Catch crappies and bluegills in bays under 12ft of water, and basins/holes of 22-30ft (finding fish suspended in the bottom third of the water column).

Jig for crappies with 1/16oz or 1/32oz jig tipped with a Mister Twister Sassy Stingum or wax worms, 1/16oz spoon or glide-bait style lure, such as a Crystal Reaper or Rapala Jigging Raps.

Aggressive jigging will bring schools in, although it’s a good idea to drill several holes and jig 10-15 minutes in each hole before moving to the next hole or spot. Jig higher in the water column, a good rule of thumb is splitting the depth in half and jigging at that location in the water column as well as jigging within 2-3ft from the bottom.

Pluck fish from the top of schools to avoiding scattering the school.

Bluegills continue hitting tungsten jigs tipped with the tail end of a Mister Twister Sassy Stingum or wax worm on weed flats or soft bottom areas in those similar locations.

Northern pike are hitting sucker minnows and spoons tipped with a minnow head. Try suspending a sucker minnow or shiner under a tip up or I Fish Pro in 10-18ft.

Walleyes are active at low light periods and hitting minnows/livebait presentations or spoons tipped with a minnow head jigged near bottom in 24-28ft of water.

We’re excited about all the opportunities this ice fishing season! Always practice safety first on all bodies of water!

Have fun, stay safe and Happy Hawg Hunting!