Minnesota guide Dustin Monson of Hawg Hunterz Guide Service gives his latest Brainerd fishing report on February 16th, 2024
Brainerd Fishing Report: 2-16-2024
We got a couple days of cold weather this week and that has help the ice, but you need to use extreme caution if you plan on heading out.
We’ve found holes of open water, ice thickness down to about 4 inches, and good ice up to about 11 inches.
Overall the fishing has been good and we’ve got a little over a week left in the walleye, bass, and northern pike season.
Crappies
The Brainerd fishing report for crappies has continued to be good.
Lots of crappies can be caught along weedlines during low light periods in twelve to eighteen feet of water.
During the day look for fish suspended over deeper basins. Those fish have been in depths between twenty and thirty feet.
Most of those fish are going to be about five to ten feet off the bottom.
A 1/16-ounce or 1/32-ounce jig tipped with a plastic has worked great during the day.
Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass can be caught jigging the the shallow weed beds. Target weed beds between five and fifteen feet of water.
Small tungsten jigs paired with a wax worm or plastic are working well.
They can also be caught on small rattlebaits and on small minnow profile baits.
Set lines paired with shiners is another great way to target largemouth bass through the ice.
Bluegills
Bluegills have been hitting tungsten jigs tipped with euro larvae or wax worms. Small plastics have also been working.
The bluegills have been really schooled up lately so if you can find a few there should be lots nearby.
Northern Pike
Northern pike are hitting sucker minnows or shiners, and spoons tipped with a minnow head.
Focus on weed beds and weed lines in twelve to eighteen feet of water.
They are biting throughout the day, but it seems like the best bite for northern pike has been in the morning.
Walleye
The Brainerd fishing report for walleyes has been decent. We’ve got a little over a week left in the season so make sure to get out and enjoy it.
Walleyes have been aggressive and cruising the shallows during the day, as well as overnight in clear lakes.
Walleyes are hitting shiners and big fathead minnows on tip-ups. 1/8-ounce to 1/4-ounce spoons tipped with a minnow head are also catch fish when jigged near bottom in 13-22ft of water.
Natural/glow perch and wonderbread have been some of the better colors.
