Brainerd Fishing Report: December 20, 2022

December 20, 2022: Brainerd Fishing Report

Brainerd Lakes Area ice fishing adventures! With the exception of hazard areas and bigger main lakes, we’re seeing fishable ice on most of the lakes in the area! I checked ice this week, and I’ve found lakes with over 10 inches, and as little as 4 inches, but the 8+ inches of snow and 3+ inches of slush not only make travel difficult, but also potentially dangerous on thinner ice! Many lakes are still limited to foot travel, though more and more lakes are reaching ice thickness to travel by ATV or Snowmobile. The good news is, we’ll likely have an extreme shift in ice thickness and much more lake accessibility by this weekend. Remember, ensure you’re checking ice conditions frequently (stay off ice under 4 inches, and be careful with slushy conditions).

(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 bays under 12ft of water, and basins/holes of 22-38ft. Jig crappies with 1/16oz or 1/32oz jig tipped with a Mister Twister Sassy Stingum or wax worms, 1/16oz spoon or glide-bait style lure, such as a Crystal Reaper or Jigging Rap. Aggressive jigging will bring schools in, although it’s a good idea to drill several holes and jig 10-15 minutes in each hole before moving to the next hole or spot. 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. 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. Northern pike are hitting sucker minnows and spoons tipped with a minnow head. Walleyes are active at low light periods and hitting minnows/livebait presentations or spoons tipped with a minnow head jigged near bottom in 24-28ft of water. (Early Ice Fishing Trip Video short from the weekend: https://youtu.be/ovfeLvtu5No )

On Mille Lacs, many main lake areas are walkable and fishable, though first shoreline break offers many opportunities for quality fish! Target walleyes and northern pike in 6-18ft. Target them with sucker minnows or shiners on set lines or Deadsticks, or jigging a spoon tipped the head of a fathead (Lindy Quiver Spoon in metallic colors 1/8oz).

Most lakes in the area have iced over though many large main lakes and channels are still dangerous, especially with the weight of the slush and snow on the ice. Always practice safety first on all early ice bodies of water! I’m excited about more ice fishing opportunities with our current 7-day forecast to solidify some of that nasty slush!