Brainerd Lakes Area Fishing Report: With the recent cool weather, we have been going through a mild cold front. Water temps have been hovering in the low to mid 70’s. Still, pretty much all species of fish have been willing to bite if you catch them in the right mood. For walleye, I’ve been catching most in 7-23’. I’ve been finding many hanging around mid-lake structure, which is typical of mid/late summer. Sometimes they are right on top and other times off the edges. I’m also still finding plenty of fish just off the first break and weedlines and some up in the weeds. Don’t be afraid to go shallow too, even mid-day. With a little wind and cloudy conditions, often times you can find them cruising around in 5-10’. I’ve been catching many on a jig and a crawler and it’s a staple in my arsenal throughout the entire summer period. I like to pitch it out 30-60’ from the boat and work it horizontal, lightly twitching and popping it on the way in. It seem like most of the time, they want it at their level or slightly above them where they have to come up to get it. Depending on conditions and depth, I’ll run a 1/16th all the way up to 1/4oz jigs. Bobbers and leeches or even pitching a jig and a leech have been productive too. Similar to the jig/crawler approach, I like to keep it at the fish’s level or a few feet above. With the clear water, many times it’s ideal to keep it a few feet above them. Sometimes jigs and plastics will get it done, as well as reaction style baits such as jerk baits or glide baits. It’s tough to do without having forward facing sonar, but targeting bigger suspended fish can be a riot. You can really use all of the same techniques, but many times the higher they are in the water column, also means the more aggressive they will be. For Bass, I don’t use a lot of traditional style bass baits, but sure seem to catch a lot with pretty much all the walleye techniques mentioned above. Weeds are key for me. The first break typically has some tall weeds that will go out to 14-20’ and they’ll be hanging tight to the outside weed edge. There should also be a ton as you follow the weed line inward from there. Many times you’ll see them hovering just over the tops of weeds and buried inside them. They will absolutely crush the same jig and plastic baits above mentioned for walleye. I sure seem to catch a ton on crawlers and they absolutely love leeches! Pike. I haven’t been targeting them a whole lot lately, but have caught a couple giants this year (37” and 39”) on a jig/crawler and a jig/plastic. Even the smaller hammer handles, it just seems like you get one every now and then in and around weeds. Unlike walleye, which seem to hang in pairs or pods, they tend to be lone wolfs and cruise around solo. They could be shallow or deep, but sure like to hang around weeds. Many times they like a little speed, so casting or trolling spinnerbaits, chatter baits, or jerk baits at 2-3mph can be deadly. They are typically aggressive and that makes them such a fun fish to catch! On occasion, you may even stumble on a good sized walleye. I’ll start targeting pike a little more in the coming month. Panfish. Find weeds and you’ll find panfish. I like bobbers with small tube jigs and northland tungsten crappie king fly tipped with small panfish leeches. A small piece of worm works too, but it seems like a small to medium leeches weed out some of the smaller ones. If you are sick of constantly baiting hooks, tipping the above mentioned jigs or any small jigs with smaller plastics can work too. Marcus Lynch Lucky Lynch’s Guide Service