Minnesota guide Dustin Monson of Hawg Hunterz Guide Service gives his latest Buzz Bite Report for the Brainerd Lakes Area and Mille Lacs Lake on January 9th, 2024.
Brainerd Lakes Area: 1-9-2024
The ice is back, and with that..ice fishing in the Brainerd Lakes Area! Fishing has been up and down with the weather changes, and we’re about to see some cold, ice making weather this week!
Continue ice safety checks due to varying conditions on several lakes; some have very thin, dangerous ice and some are good for ATV or Snowmobile travel. Make sure you’re checking ice conditions frequently.
In weedy bays or shallow basins, panfish and northern pike remain active! Catch crappies in bays and weedy shorelines under 14ft of water and suspended over basins; they may drop near bottom with this cold weather.
Crappies can be caught on 1/16-ounce or 1/32-ounce jig tipped with plastics or wax worms. Small 1/16-ounce Lindy Frostee spoon are also working well.
Aggressive jigging will bring schools in, although it’s a good idea to drill several holes and jig at least 10-15 minutes in each hole before moving to the next hole or spot due to the movement of fish.
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, vary it up every few minutes.
Bluegills have been hitting tungsten jigs tipped with the tail end of a Mister Twister Sassy Stingum or wax worm.
Northern pike are hitting sucker minnows or shiners, and spoons tipped with a minnow head. We are jigging high in the water column and set lines are above the weeds in 8-16ft.
Walleyes are active on the Brainerd Lakes Area lakes at low light periods and cruising the shallows during the day and overnight! Walleyes are hitting minnows/livebait presentations (such as shiners or fatheads) or spoons tipped with a minnow head, jigged near bottom in 18-25ft of water.
Find perch in schools inside pockets of expansive weed flats in 8-16ft. Jigging aggressively with a spoon tipped with a minnow head or tungsten jig and fathead has been producing bites.
Make frequent bottom contact to stir up stand and debris to entice finicky biters, add a slow lift to seal the deal.
