Clamshell - Bertha (Whitefish)

[Maximum12]

Heading up to a resort on Clamshell this weekend & will be staying all of next week. I've paged back through a good number of Whitefish posts over the past week, & am wondering if anyone has hit these smaller lakes.

I'll do a nominal amount of walleye "fishing" (i.e. failing to catch!) & most likely spend most of my time after bass & northern. Any info on these smaller lakes this time of year would be most appreciated.

This is our first trip to the Brainerd area & I'm eager to get on the water y'all have been talking up!

[BoxMN]

Hi, my wife grew up on Clamshell, and we still visit the lake each time we hit the chain. We have cabin on small lake off the chain now.

For walleyes and big pike, I would suggest trolling deep husky jerks or deep shap raps (down to 15 feet or so) along the 16-25 foot depths of Whitefish along the weedline right over by where the channel is to Trout. Basically, start at the channel from Rush going to the right, and end up over by trout. I garauntee you will get plenty of pike action and also some nice eyes in the mix. Then the bar that extends from the Trout channel out into Whitefish is also good for walleyes.

For Clamshell and bass, go around the island and on the backside of it (from where Clamshell Resort used to be, maybe it is still there, but they started selling land off) there are some little coves or shallow areas with some fiarly thick weeds. Hit those with topwaters moving very slow, or use jigs off on the deep edge of them. My wife gets sunnies and I get plenty of bass action back there, and it is usually nice and calm - perfect place for power lounging and getting sun while fishing

Another great place is to head to Cross and troll with deeper cranks in the 15-20 foot range, and just about everywhere you find a point sticking out you will find bass, pike and the occassional walleye. We use line counters and once you find the depth and speed, you can catch fish all day long! A typical catch is a 30 inch northern or a 15" bass, with some getting bigger, but not many smaller.

Have a good time! It is busy on weekends, that is for sure, but early in morning it is not, and when you are trolling you just sit back and look at big homes and lots of boats, and the wakes or noise doesn't bug you. During the week it is beautiful. (On my little lake, it is always quiet )

-Box

[JIG-A-WHOPPER]

I grew up on the chain and it has always been a better northern/bass lake than a walleye lake for numbers of fish. Try pulling an orange 5 of diamonds daredevil on sunny days along weedlines in the 12-18 ft. range for lots of pike. I always throw a white MR. Twister for early season bass and some days it's hard to keep them off the line. My best luck for Walleyes has always come using floating jigs on long leaders with leaches or fatheads. If you like the "night life", set yourself up with a lighted slip-bobber rig and fish the sand flats or weed lines. Good Luck!

[Redline]

Some of the best Bass and Pike fishing is on Daggett and Little Pine. This early in the season, a great area for bass is in Little Pine in the north western part. It is back by the mobile home park. A lot of bass tend to hang around in here, but during the later part of the summer, the weeds get so thick, its hard to fish. I would try that, then try a Jig and pig, or a buzz bait and just go around Daggett and fish the docks.

[Maximum12]

Thanks for the tips all! I'm going to print these out & use them as a starting point. Can't wait to get out on the water tomorrow!