Walleye lakes near Brainerd

[mikie]

Howdy. We're coming up from Ohio the last week of June and will staying near St. Cloud at Clearwater Lake. I'd like to take a day to do some good walleye fishing up by Brainerd. Don't want a big lake like Mille Lacs, can anyone recommend a good walleye lake within about an hour's drive of St. Cloud? Greatly appreciated! m

[GullGuide]

Mikie,
Send me an email and I'll list out some for you within that radius.
GullGuide@walleyecentral.com
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[Nisswa Guides]

North Long, Edwards, Pelican are usually still good choices that time of year. Round and Gull usually have pasted their Spring peak by then. Questions?? drop a line at tjblong@brainerd.k12.mn.us

[EMPTY PLATE]

THOSE ARE THE THREE MAIN LAKES THAT THE LOCAL GUIDES HAVE TARGETED FOR 30 YEARS. THEY ALL TAKE THREE TRIPS A DAY AND THREE LIMITS FOR EVERYONE. PLEASE PICK SOME DIFFERENT LAKES. MOST OF THE WALLEYES WERE TOO SMALL TO KEEP ON PELICAN LAST WINTER.
MONEY HUNGRY,FISH HOGS!!

[Red]

Empty plate get a life!! What are you picking on guides for??? Their just making a living like you and me. I wish I was good enought to guide. And did you see they were trying to help the guy out with where to fish? I comend them!!!!! Good going guys!! Red

[Elmo]

We were at Lake Edwards several times. Stayed at the Jolly Rogers on the Lake nice lake to fish. and we ate plenty of fish! Good Luck. Lots of real good water all around Brainerd

[EMPTY PLATE]

HEY RED, I GREW UP IN THAT AREA,AND I SAW WHAT TOURISM HAS DONE TO IT FIRST HAND. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THAT AREA IN THE LAST 40 YEARS IS A SHAME! UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT SAVE IT. FISHING HAS BEEN HOPELESSLY EXPLOITED. WE HAVE AN OVERBUDGETED DNR TO MAKE UP FOR GREED. THOSE LAKES UP THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE DNR IF THE FIBS HADNT BURST ONTO THE SCENE IN THE LATE 60'S.

[cisco]

Go west less than an hour and fish Koronis. It's not northwoodsy, but neither is Clearwater. There are several Stearns County guidebooks and books of maps. Write or call the St. Cloud convention and visitors bureau -- they have a website.

Bring money and spend freely. Thanks.

[mikie]

Thank you for some really good suggestions. We're planning to harvest a walleye dinner for me and a few relatives from Mpls., but we will leave some fish for the natives and leave your beautiful state with empty pockets and warm hearts. As a born-again musky hunter, I appreciate the value of C&R, we are having the same problems in Ohio where greed has exceeded the capacity of the resource. Dad used to take us up to his home state of Minnesota for vacations, and I realize that the fishing memories I have from those days will not be the memories of my son today. best wishes. mm

[Glenn]

Why go anyehere? Clearwater is a good Walleye lake, and you won't have to drive...

Glenn

[30 years then 40 years???]

Your first post said 30 years and then your next post said 40 years. Heck man, you're growing older by the second. I hope this post finds you in good spirits before you age another 10 YEARS!!!

[GullGuide]

Let me tell you something Empty whatever...
The days of the MEAT HUNTING guide are over in my opinion. All of the guides that I work with all practice catch and release for the most part. We understand that the resourse that is giving us a way to make a living must be protected or we will be out of business! Yes, there are still a few of the old-timers around who keep everything they catch, but the new generation of guides, as well as most of the old, have a very deep respect for the fish we catch. Please do not make assumptions and generalizations based on what happened in the past. This is now, not then.
Hope you have a very successful year on the water, and I appologize for taking YOUR fish.
GullGuide
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[Hans]

There are several good walleye lakes within a few miles of Clearwater -- Cedar Lake, just east of Clearwater -- great evening bite on the sunken island off the county park, and another hump in the south basin.

Twin and Sylvia lakes about 6-8 miles south of Clearwater -- walleye at the 15-ft weedline on the east shore of Twin, and on the "saddle" west of the reeds on the SW side of Sylvia. Lots of bonus green carp (LM bass).

Pleasant lake -- around the southern end of the channel at the northern end of the lake.

Beebe Lake -- not a lot of walleye, but they tend to be nice 20" or better.

Hans

[mikie]

thanks, Hans, for leading me by the nose to the right spots. We got into a few 'eyes last time we were at Clearwater, but got too busy with the 'green carp'. My boy got his first Northern on Clearwater - 4 pound fish on 6 pound test with an ultra-light. What fun! So little time and so many fishing spots...thanks again, guys! mm

[Box]

I grew up on my Grandparents lake cabin in the summers on a little lake called "Fish Lake" - you'll see it on the left of 94(briefly.. ha!) about 2 miles before you get to Clearwater. Some of the best memories of my life!

Can't tell you much about the lakes, but can wish you a great vacation! :)

Box in MN

[The Truth]

Hey there Gull Guide lets not kid ourselves. I've been in the same business as you since I was 12 years old and I know all of the area guides personally. I also know what you have in your livewell on opening weekend from Round lake(12-14 inchers). So empty plate has a couple of things right. Meathogging is still prevalent in the guiding world. I have yet to hear of an area guide implementing his own slot limit to protect the lakes. Its all about the bucks. Conservationists my #####. Over the years these lakes have been raped repeatedly. Three limits a day might be pushing it, but two is the truth.

[empty plate]

all i was gettin at was lets use some other lakes once in a while! the 30-40 years thing wasnt bs. i am forty and the fishin thing took off in the late 60's! i grew up,up there and i have seen first hand what big money has done to the area! ya,with out the big money from the twin cities the brainerd economy might be stale but i think that it's sad that most of the locals cant even afford to own a home on the lake anymore and most lakes are only inhabited by seasonal dwellings 7-8 months out of the year. not to mention the amount of trash people leave behind,not that the locals dont litter up the country themselves! and as far as the three limits a day thing goes,figure it out for yourself,one guide,and one to two people per day. or one guide and two half day trips with one to two people. i read a story in an old fins and feathers mag. it was a fantastic interveiw with the great HARRY VAN DORN (I wonder if he is still alive). he said at one particular time in either the 60's or 70's that he would guide 3 trips a day and that he would bring in 90lb. of walleye on every trip!! three people three times a day and 5 lb. walleyes were very common! i wonder how little he charged? maybe that was a long time ago but i know people want to catch fish and if all that is there is the small ones that is what is going in the live well or do you think people are gonna pay $300 a day to throw fish back? how long do you think that guide is gonna stay in business like that? bla bla bla bla, you know? what ever things change slowly if they ever change at all!

[mikie]

Hey, guys, let's start another thread for this subject. I'm just a workin man looking to take his kid on a fishing trip and catch and consume a little walleye. If you want to talk about sins of the past, come on down to SouthEast Ohio and I'll show you the yellow and orange streams from abandoned coal mines leaking acid water for the last 50 years. We all are smarter now than we were before, and know the value of resource protection. I've fished with guides who won't let you keep, and as long as that was clear right up front, before the gear even goes into the boat, we still had a wonderful time. The value I get from guides is not just learning the hot spots, but also the techniques. Maybe I'm just different.
I wish to thank those who responded, you have warmed my heart with your offers of locations and I even got a musky trip out of the deal (we do CPR musky, no wallhangers!). thanks again, mm

[GullGuide]

OK TRUTH,
For one you do NOT know me, cause if you did you would know that I do not fish Round, too many little fish, the access sux and the river is a prop muncher:) You would also know that I DO implement my own slots while guiding...NOTHING over 3lbs goes in the livewell, and that is made clear before I leave the dock. Also, when was the last time you heard of ANY guide catch a limit on Gull for 3 people, and to say 2 limits, you are out of your mind. There are NOTORIOUS meat hunters affilliated with a cretain group of guides, not going to name names, but the group that I fish with is VERY conscious of the resourse. If you knew any of them you would know that.
This thread was meant to help out a fellow angler find some fish, not to start bashing guides. But when under personal attack, I'm not going to sit back and take it.
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[GullGuide]

Empty,
I appriciate your concern. Like I said, the OLD SCHOOL guides are fading into the sunset. 99% of my clients DO NOT want to keep fish. They are golfers, buisness people, convention goers, etc, who do not want to have to worry about bringing fish back with them. Even the regular fisherpeople I take out are more concerned with having a good time and learning something new than bringing home a limit. Yes, I do keep fish, but I never keep any bass, pike or large walleye. I have yet to have anyone complain about my self-imposed rules, in fact many actually say they respect that more than those who keep everything.
Have a good season,
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