Dustin Monson of Hawg Hunterz Guide Service gives his latest Buzz Bite Report for the Brainerd Lakes Area ice report on February 3rd, 2023.
Brainerd Lakes Area Buzz Bite Report 2-3-2023
Ice fishing the Brainerd Lakes Area was slower in the past week, though the fishing will pick up with stabilizing cold weather patterns this week. Despite the bite, we still managed to find and catch fish. We’ve noticed about 12-18 inches of ice in the area, and varying levels of snow due to wind/drifting; drifting as deep as 2-3 feet so gave plans to get out of a stuck situation.
Also, there has been increasing levels of slush on most lakes so travel is increasingly difficult, but still fishable. Foot travel, plowed roads, atvs with tracks or chains and snowmobiles recommended. Please ensure you’re checking ice conditions frequently.
Catch crappies and bluegills in basins/holes of 22-38ft (finding fish suspended in the water column). If fish are near bottom beyond 28-30ft, they will not survive the catch due to barotrauma, so plan to keep all sizes of fish within your legal possession limit if fishing those depths.
Jig crappies with 5mm or 7mm Tungsten jigs tipped with a plastic or wax worms, 1/16oz spoons or glide-bait style lure, like a Jigging Rap (I’ve had a lot of success with a small tungsten jig with a soft plastic or wax worm too).
Schools are roaming slowly now, and moving to varying spots is a good idea until you mark fish; unless you plan to sit out the wait for a school to circle through your location. At times, try still fishing without jigging to see if fish are being deterred by the vibrations from jigging. 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/IFishPro in 10-18ft, especially around weeds. Walleyes are still active at low light periods and hitting minnows/livebait presentations or spoons tipped with a minnow head jigged near bottom in 22-30ft of water.
This is a great time to get out and relax on the ice! Practice safety first every time on the ice! Good luck out there and have plans to remain warm! Have fun, stay safe and Happy Hawg Hunting!
-Dustin Monson
Contact Information:
Hawg Hunterz Guide Service: Brainerd Lakes Area and Mille Lacs Lake
Email Dustin at mrhawghunter@hotmail.com or call/text at 320-293-2442 if you have any questions or to schedule a guided fishing trip.
Follow us on Facebook at Hawg Hunterz Guide Service
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Hawg_Hunterz