Gull Lake Report?

[randallt]

I am heading to Gull for a 3 day trip? What depth and structure seem to be working? Will be pulling a 8x16 wheel house I hear the ice is good. Any updates on that would be appreciated as well.

[Sportland_Bait]

I'd say that fishing has been above average. It may be starting to slow a little but it is still decent. We are finding most fish in 16-24 feet and it has really varied between shiners or jigging set ups. The ice has been in great shape, 10-16 inches through most of the lake. No bad pressure ridges that I am aware of yet. The ice is starting to heave a little at the accesses but nothing too bad.

Jason Erlandson

[randallt]

Jason thanks for the update. I am leaving in a couple of hours. I plan to stop by your place to get bait, i will look you up.

Randy

[blanch]

A group of us are going to set a house on the south end tommorrow. I plan on spending a couple of nights in the house and was wondering how fishing is after dark, I guess I've never been to Gull before.

[late night]

I fish from my portable so I have never spent the night on Gull and cant say how the night bite is. Its worth a try though. Gull Lake is as good as any for catching a big walleye, more likely to happen at night I would say. The times I have fished out there this year the bite was over for me before dark-dark and there was alot of people leaving the ice the same time I was. So, I am guessing it was the same thing for everyone.

[brainerdwalleye]

everyone coming up fishing remember to stop by s&w bait & get your extravaganza tickets.

[Traxxx]

After dark (10pm-4pm) can be some of the best time to catch walleyes over 24" on Gull. I'll drop down the rattle reels with bigger glow jigs. I like to use #4 size Custom Jigs, in blue glow, with a medium size shiner. The blue glow will glow all night without a charge and a medium or large shiner will attract those bigger walleyes. Good luck, let us know how it goes.

[Sportland_Bait]

The reports this week continue to be pretty good from most parts of the lake. Traxx gave great advice about the night bite. It may not always be fast and furious through the night but the fish caught overnight have been really nice. We have also seen a few fish caught mid-day along with the normal morning and evening bite. Golden shiners under a bobber has produced fish in the 25 inch range. Jiggers have been getting into a bunch of 15-16 inchers. We'll see what happens this weekend. Ice conditions have been pretty good out there. I have been taking the atv but I've seen full sized trucks all over the lake. Just be careful out there. I haven't seen any bad cracks yet but they are bound to show up somewhere.

Jason Erlandson

[blanch]

Well we fished the south end and came up with nothing. At least we marked some fish. We drove out of Ernies with the house and the ice was good, 16" where we fished. We're trying it again today in another spot.

[Traxxx]

Went out and fished a new spot tonight. It was pretty consistant action from 3:30 to 5:30pm. Fished in 20 fow on a shoreline hump. Ended up with 15 or so walleyes, a half dozen perch and a tullipee, lost two other good fish at the hole. Fatheads and small orange hooks took about half the walleyes and a perch buckshot tipped with a minnowhead fooled the rest. Ice was 12"

[Sportland_Bait]

Great report Traxx! The fishing keeps plugging along here on Gull. This is one of the best winters we have had in recent years.

Jason Erlandson

[Farley]

A few friends and I are planning on comming up with the fish houses the weekend of the fishing contest. I notice there is an access on Hole in the Day bay, where they have the contest, will we be able to use this access to get our houses on and off the lake? If not, is there any accesses on the east side of the lake between the Corp Dam and Hole in the Day, if we have to pay a small fee that would work. Just looking for a convienent spot to go out since we are planning on setting up somewhere between the two public accesses, the shorter the drive on the ice the better. Thanks, [email protected]

[Sportland_Bait]

You can still use the public accesses to go out to your fish houses. During the contest day the sheriff will not allow anyone to drive out to fish the contest. But you will be ok if you have a fish house out on the lake. When you put your house out I would try to stay away from the contest area.

Jason Erlandson

[skies_and_eyes]

you could try the Yacht Club or Ernies

[blanch]

The north end where we moved produced more fish but no size. We fished 24' and from 4:30-6:00 has been really busy. Any idea on what to do to bring in some bigger ones, maybe staying a little later?

[talltines]

blanch, fishing later is your best bet. Myself and more than a few buds have nailed the ones on our walls at night. Mine was @12:30 AM 29". trick is to fish shallow rocks. set house in 18-22 fow and than you must put a couple tip-ups up in 8-12 fow with hefty golden shiners. Make sure to walk to tip-up running will spook the fish, i don't use lantern either will spook them to. I use a pager for tip-up but a flag light works as well. this has worked for many buds and myself. fishing out of the house set in shallow rocks has not worked,too much noise and light I guess. Night hogs on the flag.

[JConrad]

I completely agree... Also right on the weed line (14 - 15 ft) at night will also work for larger fish... You won't get many bites but most are larger fish...

Being very quiet is really the key... I tell friends of mine that but they don't listen and then they wonder why I catch far more fish then they do.... Good fresh bait 8 - 12 inches off the bottom and being dark and quiet works if you are in the right spot...

If you need help on where and how to fish our Brainerd area lakes stop by and talk to Jason at Sportland Bait in Nisswa.. right behind Schaffers Foods off 371...

[Camp Bob]

The access on Hole in the day bay will be closed as of 10:oopm on friday night. You will be OK with ATV's & Sleds but not vehicles. It will be re-opened at 5:oopm following the Extravaganza. Another FYI, the frontage road leading to the access will also be closed so there will be no on shore parking without a resident pass.

[Farley]

Thanks for the info, what about parking on the ice out on the outskirts of the contest, I know in years past I've seen trucks out there.

[Camp Bob]

You are free to park on the ice but would have to use a different access and keep your vehicle 100 yards outside of the boundaries. Also, once you are within the boundaries, the officals will disqualify you if you go back to your vehicle at any point before or during the event.

Good luck fishin

[blanch]

I really appreciate the advice TT. We're going out after work tonight for another stint.

[skies_and_eyes]

went out to a spot that I fished last week on Gull. Last week there was 10 inches, tongiht there was 13 inches. Took the pick up out there and made'er back okay. Fishing was good despite the front that moved through. Fished in 15-18 feet all fish caught on set lines, not one fish on a jig spoon.

[ditchpickle6996]

Nothing last night for me on Gull. Our spot just shut down. No bites on the rattle reel and not even a sniffer on the vex in two hours. Should have stayed home and watched the hockey game!

[Sportland_Bait]

Sorry to say I think that we could be seeing things coming to an end or at least a big slow down. I know that the last couple of days have been a little slower for us. I'm sure that some anglers will still get a few. But this is a pretty nasty cold front. She could slam the door pretty hard on the walleye bite. We'll keep an eye on things.

Jason Erlandson

[blanch]

I took the advice and went out on the north end last night with a couple guys. We started fishing at 6:00 and left at 9:15. We kept only 4 walleyes, but there was steady action on the locator and we just couldn't get them in. The size was a bit bigger than the previous evenings.

[JConrad]

I agree Jason.... Things have really slowed down for me also. I had fish show up on the graph two evenings ago but they would not bite. They would slowly come in check out the jig and then just leave. I did catch 1 decent walleye at 4:30 pm two nights ago on a shiner set line. It played around with the shiner for quite some time before it took the bait. I did not fish last night or this morning. This cold front will more than likely really slow the walleye bite down for several days. It's that time of the year!!!

Heading down to Pheasant Fest in St. Paul tomorrow morning...

[skies_and_eyes]

out again tonight, caught 4, but I had to leave at prime time to go to puppy training class. Drove out, measured same holes as yesterday and there was an extra 1 in!! Only had to avoid one weird spot (some little heave that was 45 feet long), other than that smooth sailing.

[Traxxx]

One trick I've been using lately, when dealing with neutral or negative fish, is what I like to call "reel & drop". It's pretty simple, yet very effective. This works well when you are useing a spoon on one pole and a setline on the other, with a flasher. When you see fish come in on the flasher and they won't hit a spoon or set line, the fish probably just needs something to trigger it. Basically you reel the setline half way up or all the way to the hole and let it flutter or free fall back down. Sometimes I will stop the line, just for a split second, to add some more action. It looks like a stuggling or dieing minnow coming down, that they can't resist. Sometimes the bobber will just keep going when it hits the bobber stop. The fish will come up, off the bottom or come in and hit it, while its coming down. Lately we've been using fatheads, #6 size plain hooks in glow or orange, small weights and small bobbers. Basically a crappie size setup. The small hooks and weight, creates a slow fall and gives the fish a little more time to come back and strike. It works for both walleyes and crappies. It also works to draw more fish into the area. Hope this helps. Good Luck.

[EJ]

Good ides Traxx! How many times have you dropped your set line down and the bobber just kept going?!

EJ

[Traxxx]

EJ,

It happens quite a bit. Alot of the time, the bite will occur within 10 seconds or so, of when it hits the bobber stop. Last year in the contest it happened. I was jigging for the first half hour and decided to switch to a bobber. About two seconds after it hit the bobber stop, down it goes. Ended up to be a .41 walleye. I think .56lb won the ten grand last year. Hopefully this year.