Minnesota guide Dustin Monson of Hawg Hunterz Guide Service gives his latest Brainerd Lakes Area Fishing Report on January 25th, 2024.
Brainerd Lakes Area Fishing Report: 1-25-24
Great fishing in the Brainerd Lakes Area of Minnesota, and great weather is forecasted to be on the ice to catch them!
Most places we have been fishing have ice between nine and twelve inches. Continue ice safety checks due to varying conditions on several lakes; though most lakes are safe for ATV or Snowmobile travel at this time!
Make sure you’re checking ice conditions frequently, because the ice conditions will be changing with this warmer weather.
Crappies
The Brainerd Lakes Area fishing report for crappies has been great.
Anglers can expect to catch a number of crappies along weedlines in twelve to eighteen feet of water and suspended over deeper basins.
Look for basins between twenty and thirty-five feet of water. Most of those fish are going to be about five to ten feet off the bottom.
Crappies can be caught on a number of different presentations.
A 1/16-ounce or 1/32-ounce jig tipped with a plastic has worked great during the day.
Smaller spoons like a 1/16-ounce Lindy Frostee spoon tipped with some wax worms is also producing a ton of fish. It seems like the spoons are producing some of our bigger fish as well.
Typically we have started out with the spoons and if we have a few fish reject them we’ll make the switch to the jig.
A dead stick paired with a live crappie minnow has also produce a number of fish, especially during the nighttime bite.
These schools of crappies are constantly roaming around and aggressive jigging will bring schools in.
Typically we will drill several holes in an area and jig at least ten to fifteen minutes in each hole before moving to the next hole or spot due to the movement of fish.
Bluegills
Bluegills have been hitting tungsten jigs tipped with euro larvae or wax worms. If they are really biting well small plastics will also work.
Look for bluegills in the shallow weed beds between eight and sixteen feet of water.
Some fish can also be found on flats between fifteen and twenty feet of water. They will bite all day, but the best bite seems to be in the mid-morning.
Northern Pike
Northern Pike are hitting sucker minnows or shiners under tip-ups. Tip-ups are the best way to target northern pike.
A few fish can also be caught jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head. We are jigging high in the water column.
Target weed beds between eight and sixteen feet of water. Look for bigger weed beds, because those are going to hold more fish.
Walleyes
The Brainerd Lakes Area fishing report for walleyes has been decent.
As you could expect walleyes are biting at low light periods early in the morning and late in the evening, as well as overnight.
The occasional fish can be seen cruising the shallow weeds during the day.
Spoons tipped with a minnow heads and set lines paired this large fathead minnows or shiners are producing the most bites.
Focus on main lake points, humps, and breaks between fifteen and twenty-six feet of water.
Overnight some fish can be found on the shallow weedy flats in ten to twelve feet of water.
Perch
Find perch in schools inside pockets of expansive weed flats in eight to sixteen feet of water.
Jigging aggressively with a spoon tipped with a minnow head or tungsten jig and fathead has been producing bites.
If you aren’t marking fish pound your presentation on the bottom to stir up sand and debris. This will attract perch in from a distance away and can help to entice finicky biters.
