Minnesota fishing guide Dustin Monson of Hawg Hunterz Guide Service gives his latest Brainerd fishing report on May 31st, 2024.
Brainerd Fishing Report: 5-31-24
We’ve have had some great fishing in the Brainerd Lakes Area of Minnesota! Bass and panfish can be found shallow while walleyes and northern pike have started transitioning out onto main lake structure.
Walleyes: Brainerd Lakes Area
Walleyes have consistently pushed into early summer/mid-summer structure. We are targeting walleyes in ten to twenty-four feet of water on large sand or gravel flats, weed flats, and wind-blown points.
Most of our walleyes have been caught casting a jig and minnow combo or pitching a slip bobber with a leech. Jigging Raps are also triggering some bites. After sunset walleyes can caught trolling stickbaits in four to ten feet of water near weedy flats.
Panfish: Brainerd Fishing Report
Panfish continue roaming shallow weed flats, channels, bays and areas near pencil reeds in six to sixteen feet of water. Fish are either holding tight to weeds or roaming the edges. The bluegill spawn is just beginning to start.
We’ve had a lot of success using Lindy Fatboy Tungsten Jigs and Mister Twister Sassy Stingum plastics or Lindy Hair Jigs to catch our fish on most outings. We found crappies and sunfish near wood, docks, and pencil reeds. If they are present, but finicky, try using a small tungsten jig tipped with wax worms.
Inland Trout: Brainerd Fishing Report
Inland trout offers both family fun fishing and a challenge for novice anglers to find larger rainbow trout or lake trout. We opted for pitching Lindy Little Nippers to elicit bites or jigging a spoon tipped with a piece of soft plastic or wax worm for deeper roaming fish. We found trout from the top of the water column down to about forty feet of water, with the most common depth two and fifteen feet of water.
Northern Pike: Brainerd Fishing Report
Northern Pike have been on weedlines and weedflats in ten to seventeen feet of water. We’ve been catching a ton of northern pike on the jig and minnow or casting or trolling crankbaits. Anglers can expect to run into some largemouth bass in those same areas.
Catfish: Brainerd Fishing Report
Anglers are still catching channel catfish in the Brainerd Lakes Area from shore and boats. The prespawn bite is heating up and it seems like most anglers targeting catfish are having a lot of success. 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 on the Crow Wing River.
A 1-ounce egg sinker weight about one foot above a 1/0 circle hook paired that with worms/nightcrawlers, cutbait, deadbait, sucker minnows or chicken liver has been working great. This method works both from shore and in a boat.
