Water · Brainerd lakes area
Weedy Crow Wing water near Merrifield. A family lake with pike, bass, and panfish that do not require a TED Talk.
Boat kit
Picks from the species that actually live here, already on the gear guides. Click a card if you want it in the boat. We still will not invent a bite.
Johnson
The original weedless wonder still earns a seat in Minnesota pike boats. Cast it through pads and cabbage, keep a steady wobble, and tip it with a trailer if the fish want a little more meal. Gold 3/4 is the listing we can actually buy today.
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Storm
Pre-rigged soft shad with holographic flash and that WildEye stare that looks slightly judgmental. Cast it along weed edges and riprap when Minnesota bass want a baitfish without the drama of live bait.
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Clam
Minnesota ice-house tungsten with a flat tie-eye that puts the hook where soft-mouthed crappies keep their secrets. Small, dense, and weirdly charming in Wonderbread paint.
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Rapala
The wounded-minnow that started arguments in more Minnesota tackle boxes than we can count. Twitch it, drown it, or just believe in it.
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Rapala
Minnow silhouette with spoon flash, built to slide through greenery without a speech. Firetiger is the loud outfit for stained summer water when pike are parked in the salad.
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Rapala
Paddle-tail kick for swim jigs, underspins, or a plain jighead. The Mayor is the soft plastic you throw when the lake is pressured and you still want a clean baitfish profile.
View on AmazonFish notes Northern pikeBassPanfishWalleye
Gear guides MN weekend rod & reel — wallet setupsNorthern pike spoons & spinnerbaitsPike & muskie heavier setupsBass plastics & topwater for MN lakes
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Usual suspects: Northern pike, Bass, Panfish, Walleye
Lake Edward — Edward Lake on some maps, same wet circle — sits in Crow Wing County near Merrifield, with Nisswa and the Paul Bunyan Trail close enough to make you feel organized.
It is the weedy, friendly kind of water. Pike, bass, panfish, and walleye in the usual-suspects column. Easy to fish from a small boat if you brought one, and easy to overthink if you did not. No fake conditions. Check current regulations before you even think about the cooler.
We are watching the calendar. Nothing on the books for this water that we can stand behind. When a real lake day shows up, it will land here — not a daydream with a date slapped on it. See all of Events.