Fall fishing is on fire! Walleyes, crappies, northern pike and bass are hitting the boat in the Brainerd Lakes Area!
Walleyes continue moving around mid-lake humps, points and inside turns in 5-15ft. Check steeper edges near weeds/weed flats down to around 30ft if you’re not seeing fish in the “shallows.” Many fish are inside weedlines and on top of weed flats. Our go-to presentations have been rigging/jigging creek chubs with a 1/4oz or 1/2oz sinker or jigging fathead minnows. Catch walleyes on a Lindy jig in blue/glow, chartreuse or gold (1/8oz or 1/4oz). Some fish are still hitting a minnow and slip bobber presentation too; slip bobber presentations have been producing fish in schools around 5-12ft. Ripping reaction baits (Vexan Crystal Reaper/Moonshine Shiver Minnow) or Smithwick Perfect 10 Rogues are next in line if these presentations aren’t producing.
Crappies have been schooling up and roaming bays, basins and deep weeds. Find them on steep breaks, holes and flats in 10-18ft of water. Two main approaches for fall crappies are jig/plastic or jig/minnow under a slip bobber. We opt for using Lindy Fatboy Tungsten Jigs and Mister Twister Sassy Stingum plastics to catch our fish. Sunfish are near the same areas as walleyes on edges of expansive weed flats in large schools, and will hit an angling worm or leech tipped on a small lead or tungsten jig casted or under slip floats/bobbers. Weed flats and weed edges (or sunken wood) are the go-to structures in 6-16ft; also applies to the basins of main lakes, suspended in schools; use your electronics to find fish.
Catch largemouth bass and northern pike in bays and inside weedlines in 5-15ft on jig/minnow, soft plastic or wacky worm variations; drop shot techniques for bass are also effective. Trolling a Smithwick Perfect 10 Rogue or using as a jerkbait is also effective.
Smallmouth bass are schooling up and hitting various presentations such as a War Eagle 1/8oz worm jig/Mister Twister 3″ Ned Ringer; many fish have moved into weeds or on rocks in 6-14ft, which have been smashing creek chubs on rigs.
Target trout on inland designated trout lakes using a Tungsten or 1/32oz jig tipped with a piece of angle worm, wax worm or soft plastic such as the Mister Twister Sassy Stingum. Also very effective has been trolling small crankbaits around 2 mph. Fish are under the surface to 40ft deep, so it’s important to try different presentations or use your electronics to see the depth of most fish to target.
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Good luck, stay safe and Happy Hawg Hunting!
