Some visiting anglers feel the fishing in the Brainerd Lakes Area only gets better when the lakes freeze over. In one day, on one lake, maybe even from one ice hole, anglers can catch walleyes, bass, crappies, sunfish, northern pike and yellow perch.

Almost all of the area lakes have excellent fishing for walleye, northern pike, crappie and sunfish. Some lakes even offer lake trout fishing. The most popular lakes have fish house rentals with plowed roads leading to many of the good fishing spots. Other lakes are hardly fished and can be reached by snowmobile or on foot. Local bait and tackle stores have gear and advice for visiting anglers.

	Adventurous ice anglers can bring their own fish house or fish right out in the open if the weather permits. Anglers can get on any lake with public access or public shoreline, which opens up a wide array of opportunities. Many area resorts and tackle shops have fish houses for rent as well.
	Every year, the Brainerd Jaycees draw thousands of people on to the ice of Gull Lake for the world’s largest ice fishing event, the annual $150,000 Ice Fishing Extravaganza. Everyone should experience the sight of over 12,000 anglers fishing from 25,000 holes drilled for the event, which actually lowers the ice by almost a foot!

Find out about seasons and where to fish by asking the person you buy your tackle, bait or license from. Local merchants are the ones who know what’s biting …and what they’re biting on. And there’s no better place to find biting fish than in the Brainerd Lakes Area.