February 21, 2023: Brainerd Fishing Report
Fun fishing and big walleyes! Ice fishing has been consistent in mid-winter patterns! We’ve noticed about 18-25 inches of ice in the area, and much of the settled/refrozen snow is being covered by our new snowstorm! Slush pockets and soft snow can make travel difficult, have backup plans for traveling on and off the lakes. Foot travel, plowed roads, atvs with tracks or chains and snowmobiles recommended. There are several lakes with plowed roads from accesses or resorts; please don’t drill holes or fish on or right next to roads. Please ensure you’re checking ice conditions frequently (follow the MN DNR Ice Guidelines).
(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 basins/holes of 20-30ft (finding fish suspended in the water column). If fish are near bottom beyond 28-30ft, 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. Jig crappies with 5mm or 7mm Tungsten jigs tipped with a Mister Twister Sassy Stingum or wax worms, 1/16oz Frostee Spoon or glide-bait style lure, such as a Crystal Reaper or Jigging Rap (I’ve had a lot of success with a small tungsten jig with a soft plastic or wax worm too). The same tactics are working for tullibees/ciscoes. Schools are roaming slowly now, and moving to varying spots is a good idea until you mark fish; unless you plan to sit out the wait for a school to circle through your location. At times, try still fishing without jigging to see if fish are being deterred by the vibrations from jigging. 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. Northern pike are hitting sucker minnows and spoons tipped with a minnow head. Try suspending a sucker minnow or shiner under a tip up/IFishPro in 10-18ft, especially around weeds. Walleyes are still active at low light periods and hitting minnows/livebait presentations or spoons tipped with a minnow head jigged near bottom in 18-26ft of water. (Fishing Videos: https://youtube.com/@Hawg_Hunterz )
-On Mille Lacs, main lake areas are accessible by ATV or Snowmobile, though first shoreline break offers many opportunities for quality fish too and patience in these areas is important as fish size could be worth the time! We are finding big drifts and slush pockets here too, and be careful crossing pressure ridges. Target walleyes and northern pike in 6-18ft, or 15-27ft (shallow end if overcast, deeper end if sunny). 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, War Eagle Super Spoon 1/2oz). We’ve been catching many year classes of walleyes on secondary and main lake structures! Perch are hitting tungsten jigs with wax worms or small spoons/small minnow head in 25-30fow. (Make sure you read the Mille Lacs Special Regulations: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/millelacs.html)
Good luck out there enjoying the great weather! Have fun, stay safe and Happy Hawg Hunting!
