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little lakes?


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hey every one i have heard that the little lakes in the brainerd area can really be productive compared to the larger better known lakes. i like going for all spiecies so im looking for a small lake that is very productive in all or even just one spiecies. so anyone have some suggestions to which lake i should go to?

any help would b great!

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My in laws live on Lake Gladstone east of Nisswa. Great little lake for bass and panfish. There isn't much of a chance of catching a walleye, but all the pike that you care to. Hit the weeds beds along the north shore. They are really productive from the landing to the west until you hit the point of reeds. Then continue along that point of reeds to the south. The bass can be anywhere from right in the thick stuff out to 15'.

I was up there for the week after the 4th, and did very well throwing a weightless Strike King 3x Zero in the color white, with a red hook. I rig it with a swivel to keep line twist down. 1-2 pounders are common, with the ocassional 3 mixed in there. If the boat traffic isn't too bad on the south end, fish the boat docks over there as well as on the east end. Actually, I've probably caught bass off of about 90% of the docks on the lake, but there is typically more fish in the weeds.

Panfish- sunnies are ALL OVER the place. Hit any weed edge and anchor up. You'll have to sort through a bunch of them to get any keepers, but if you have kids, it's a blast. Crappies are a little tougher. They bite well during low light periods. I mainly fish them in the east basin. We just drift along if there is a wind and jig them with a flu-flu and crappie minnow in 12-18'. If there is now wind, we will put the troller down and cast and make a slow steady retrieve. Sometimes there are only down 6' in 15' of water. We haven't caught much for keepers in the last 2 years though. They are all 1/4#ers.

Good luck, and remember, it's a fragile lake, so let the big one's go. Later, Paul

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redneck,

You've sort of pinpointed the whole reason for spending time in the region-- and that is, scouting out and exploring new lakes for yourself. Ask a lot of folks who fish here often and they'll tell you, most of the fun lies in sleuthing out a few real gems for yourself, as in, going out cold-turkey, poking around, and anticipating the different fishing patterns you discover. Do this, and I promise you'll soon possess secrets that lots of fishermen will covet.

Believe me, too, you'll have a heck of a good time picking out a few random lakes on the map at a time, slipping your boat into the water, and sort of feeling your way around the system. Every water's a new experience, each offering its own little set of curious, miraculous variables. This is a bit of fishing's real magic. smile.gif

Ok, so maybe you already know all this, and I'm just "preaching," and if that's the case, I apologize. But it sort of occurs to me with increasing frequency these days, that the internet has all too often become a "get rich quick" scheme for too many fishermen. Everyone likes tips and shortcuts to hot bites. But the truth is, without a measure of work, a bit of mental or physical effort, fishing would be little more than a means to an end.

Thank God that on most fronts, fishing remains all about the hunt, the adventure, the fun, and only in the end, the catch. smile.gif

-a friend called Toad

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Well said Toad!

As with anything in life, success is so much better when you have paid your dues and learned some things along the way.

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All that is fine and good but for a person venturing outside of their territory a lil point in the right direction doesnt hurt.

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The Brainerd area is blessed with many many great lakes to fish. My mind just spins when I think about all of the possibilities. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them if you are after bass, panfish or pike. You can go to the DNR website and look at the lake survey reports. You can get information on populations and sizes for any of the lakes in the whole state. You can also find lake maps, water clarity information plus many other facts about the lake of your choice. I've seen what can happen to a lake when the word of a hot bite gets out. A secret honey hole can get cleaned out real fast. You won't see too many FM'ers putting the word out.

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