Brainerd Fishing Report: April 4, 2023

Melting snow, snowstorms, soft snow, melting snow, fish on!! We’ve noticed about 20-25 inches of ice in the area, and softer snow on the surface ranging from 8-15 inches, with slush underneath the snow, especially after drilling holes. Mobility is relatively limited.

(Safety First: The MN DNR has many great resources online to help determine ice safety, immersion survival, etc. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/index.html)

-Catch crappies and bluegills in and on the edges of basins/holes near shallow bays. They are also near/in bays around weeds in 5-12ft; submerged wood is a bonus. Note: If fish are near bottom beyond 26-30ft, they will not survive the catch due to barotrauma, so plan to keep all sizes of fish within your legal possession limit if fishing those depths. Fish can be anywhere in the water column, so varying jigging depths is a good idea, especially in shallower water. Jig crappies with 5mm or 7mm (size 10) Tungsten jigs tipped with a Mister Twister Sassy Stingum or wax worms, 1/16oz Frostee Spoons tipped with wax worms work well too! The same tactics are working for tullibees/ciscoes though jigging in the top 10ft will usually be sufficient for jigging depth over deep basins. “Hole hopping” or drilling multiple holes in varying depths and fishing each hole for about 10-15 minutes has been producing fish, though it’s a lot of effort due to the current conditions.

*🔥HOT TIP*

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. Pluck fish from the top of schools to avoiding scattering the school.*

Bluegills continue hitting tungsten jigs tipped with the tail end of a Mister Twister Sassy Stingum or wax worm on weed flats or soft bottom areas in those similar locations; Also, I’ve been finding schools in bays and near fallen trees.

(Fishing Videos: https://youtube.com/@Hawg_Hunterz )

-On Mille Lacs, main lake areas are accessible by Snowmobile; although some areas have been showing slush. Perch are hitting tungsten jigs with wax worms or small spoons/small minnow head in bays, mudflats or rock edges in various depths, jig aggressively on or near bottom to bring fish in and raise your lure slowly to catch them. (Make sure you read the Mille Lacs Special Regulations: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/millelacs.html)

Good luck out there, we’re nearing the open water season!! Have fun, stay safe and Happy Hawg Hunting!