Information on Briggs, Julia and Rush

[HuskersRule]

I might be looking at a lake home on Julia and I was wondering how the Walleye and Crappie fishing is on these lakes for both winter and open water.

[Captain B.R.K]

The Briggs/Julia lakes do have a decent crappie population. I know over the last few winters everyone else had heard this too. I have not fished them, but will let others on the forum chime in on the success of the population out there for walleyes and crappies.

[Eyehawk]

Both lakes have a good number of sunfish and crappies but there isn't any size to them. Unless you like keeping or catching 5-9 inch crappies and 4-7 inch sunfish. Walleyes are few and far between, there might be a few left in Julia but not many and the same goes for Briggs.

[HuskersRule]

Thanks for the feedback I appreciate it.

[COLE0117]

Crappies and sunnies have crashed from where they were 20 years ago. The lake is overloaded with recreation in the warm days of summer. And the lakes are ussually overrun with milfoil. Unless you are getting a GREAT deal on the lake home I would look elsewhere. Have fished the lakes since I was a kid and they really are in trouble, in my opinion. Walleyes are up and down on briggs and julia. Crappies are small with a bad kill the last few years, Parasites have really been hitting the last 2 years. Rush can be up and down for sunnies, right now the lake is filling with weeds and the carp a making a mud hole of the south side. I have been on briggs/rush a few times this year and all we got were 2 bullheads. 2 years ago I could take my family of 5 and get a 5 limit's of crappies of which we would take home 2-3 limits. We would always get between 3-8 or so walleyes of 17-19 inch size. Since then its been a dead pool. I wouyld really urge you to talk to the lake home owners association and find out what is in the plans for improvement. Good luck

[Mark Christianson]

Definitely a lake system in my bottom 5% that I care to fish.

Just my opinion.

[big musk411]

I got into some great walleye fishing there last fall. We had massive rain and the lake was extreemly high. the walleye were stacked in the channel between Briggs and rush. Myself and three buddies all limited out on 15-17inchers and released alot of others too. Saw a guy in another boat get a 25incher also. I'll be back out there if we get good rain again.

Matt T

[Coach1310]

The Briggs/Julia/Rush chain are typical for most high pressured area lakes. I will admit, 10 years ago you could catch your limit of 12" crappies quite often on Julia, but pressure has gotten to them a bit. However, people still report catching some nice fish. Briggs has had some decent walleye fishing the past few years, don't expect to catch lots, but if you learn the lake you can always catch some. Rush has a few decent weeks in the winter for sunfish, but nothing to write home about. The bottom line is, you are more fortunate than most of us to have the ability to consider living on the lake, waking up to the view and having a chance to catch some decent fish!!

Hope this helps.

[Eyehawk]

Cole I agree, I grew up fishing these lakes with my dad and grandpa, and grandpa always said you could go out on Julia and count on catching close to a limit of sunfish and 5-10 nice crappies, and a nice crappie for most guys in that area are 10-12 inches, nothing like 14-16" like you can get up north. Those lakes are a prime example of how lakeshore development and over pressure of fisherman can do damage to any type of species of fish in a lake, especially panfish, northern, and walleyes. I really thought a couple of years ago that the DNR should of banned all fishing in those 3 lakes for at least 5 years to let the pressure off and let the fish come back. I hardly fish those lakes anymore unless dad wants too, but we have had to find different lakes to fish or I invite him up to Bemidji (where I go to college) for a couple of days of fishing, because of how drasticly bad those lakes have gotten, and the same goes for Little Rock too with the pressure that it gets and lakeshore development. Like was stated before its great to have the opportunity to even have a chance to buy lakeshore property, because most guys can't afford it anymore unless you inherit (spelling) it or you make really good money. But for me personally I wouldn't look at buying the cabin on Julia, because when I am on a lake I hate seeing houses being built on top of each other right next to shore or looking out from shore and seeing houses lined up like they are in the city, then you might as well be in the cities and build a big pond with your neighbors so that you all can look over it, because thats the same way I see it with Minnesota lakes having their lake shores' being developed. I always wondered what a real estate agent or developer thinks when they destroy the habitat for wild animals and fish, so that someone can have a cabin and be by the lake for a total of maybe 15 days out of the year, and so that they can make buck out of the deal as well? I don't mean to go off but it really upsets me how people think now a days. But by all means if you like the house/cabin and Lake Julia then buy it, cuz lakeshore is only going to go up in price, really can't make anymore of it as the way it is.

[oldguide]

I agree with all the posts! The Briggs Lake chain and a lot of other lakes have gone done the tube due to heavy residential development. I was out of MN for quite a few years and since being back am crying over all the lakes that have silted in. I wish our building officials would take more pride in their work and enforce the codes. Maybe this would help save a few for the future generation.

I to have caught the walleyes in the channel after a heavy rain and also in the fall. All catch and release though. I wouldn't eat anything out of there.

That's all folks! Time to hook up the boat and go catch some bass. They're up and eating.