Happy Halloween! Open Water opportunities still exist in the Brainerd Lakes Area, but not for long! Walleyes, crappies, northern pike and bass are hitting the boat!
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 has 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.
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 or even down to 30ft on some bodies of water, but beware of barotrauma of fish at those depths, practice ethical fishing. Two of our 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 the majority of the time. 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.
Feel free to share your pictures, outdoor adventures, and memories with us, we love to see/hear them!
Good luck, stay safe and Happy Hawg Hunting!
