Brainerd area fisheries staff perform management, habitat and oversight work for 317 fishing lakes and 100 miles of rivers and streams in Crow Wing and lower Cass counties.
Popular area waters are the Gull and Whitefish chain of lakes, Pelican Lake and North Long Lake. Brainerd area staff also stock trout in the former mine pits at the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area.
- News & notices
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What can I catch?
Wondering what fish you can catch and when you can catch them? Seasons vary for different fish so use our fishing season listing to find out.
Get started fishing
We can help you get started fishing. Check out our tips and links to information on how to fish, filleting fish, frying fish and more.
- Fishing opportunities
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Outlooks
Learn to fish
Fishing piers & boat ramps by county
Public lands
- Resources
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Egg take
The hatchery
Pond harvest
Population assessment
- Lake management planning
Lakes scheduled for 2024
People who want to discuss the individual fisheries listed below must call or email this area fisheries office during February. Your observations and comments will be considered as updates begin on these fisheries lake management plans. Comments from people interested in the health and quality of Minnesota’s fisheries are a critical part of the DNR’s fisheries lake management planning process. These plans establish fisheries management goals and objectives for each lake and guide the work fisheries biologists do each year. Clicking lake links below take you to LakeFinder, where you can find various lake specific information, including past fisheries surveys. To submit input or learn more about each lake’s management plan, please contact this area office.Lake (nearest city) County Little Bass (Remer) Cass Rock (Pine Center) Crow Wing Smith (Garrison) Crow Wing How you can help
Comments about preferred experiences, observations or general concerns about the fishery – rather than suggestions on how DNR might accomplish a specific goal or objective – are the most helpful kinds of input. Some questions to consider when formulating input could include:- What kind of fishing experience are you looking for?
- Are there fish habitat concerns you’d like to share?
- What species of fish are most important to you?
- Do you like catching fewer big fish or a lot of smaller fish?
- Talk with us
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Brainerd staff
Slide text left for phones & emails
Name
Position
Phone
Email
Mike Knapp Area supervisor 218-203-4301 [email protected] John Kempe Assistant area supervisor 218-203-4301 [email protected] Lori Breitling Office administative specialist 218-203-4301 [email protected] Michelle Krecklau Fisheries specialist 218-203-4301 [email protected] David Lockwood Fisheries specialist 218-203-4301 [email protected] Carl Mills Fisheries specialist 218-203-4301 [email protected] Andy Wiebusch Fisheries specialist 218-203-4301 [email protected]