Minnesota fishing guide Dustin Monson of Hawg Hunterz Guide Service gives his latest Brainerd Lakes Area fishing report on April 11th, 2024.
Brainerd Lakes Area Fishing Report: 4-11-2024
We’ve had some beautiful spring weather in the Brainerd Lakes Area and the fishing has been great! The lakes are open and the crappies have been hungry.
Sunfish, crappies, perch and channel catfish can be targeted as seasons are open year-round in Minnesota.
The Inland trout season closed and the next opportunity in the Brainerd Lakes Area is for stream trout opening on April 13, 2024.
Catfish: Brainerd Lakes Area Fishing Report
You can fish for channel catfish from shore, boat or fishing piers.
Some common locations for targeting channel catfish in the Brainerd Lakes Area on the Mississippi River include: below the “Brainerd Dam/Potlatch,” Kiwanis Park, French Rapids, Green Point or Sylvan Dam (Crow Wing River).
When shore fishing, I will often use a medium-heavy spinning rod with a medium to large sized spinning reel spooled with thirty to fifty pound braided line.
There are several rigs (20lb mono) and ways to catch catfish with a weight (1oz) about 1-2ft above the hook, and some common baits include worms/nightcrawlers, cutbait/deadbait, sucker minnows or chicken liver on about a 1/0 octopus hook.
Cast to areas where slack water meets current, eddys, or in current where it slows down or has a break.
In a boat, you can often jig for them vertically in holes and behind slack-water breaks in current. I’ll usually let the current determine my jig weight but 1/2-ounce is a good starting point.
Practice safe handling as they have sharp spines on their pectoral fins and dorsal fin.
Panfish: Brainerd Lakes Area Fishing Report
Panfish will be in basin areas and shallow weed flats, which will be difficult to access without a watercraft (canoe, kayak, boat, etc.).
Target crappies with two main approaches. A jig paired with a plastic or with a bobber and minnow presentation.
We opt for using Lindy Fatboy Tungsten Jigs and Mister Twister Sassy Stingum plastics to catch our fish on most outings.
We found crappies on the edges of weeds, bays, channels and near the warmest water in the bodies of water we fished.
As the water temperatures continue to warm up these fish will begin to push shallow.
