Any recent reports from Brule lake and surrounding? We are heading out Thursday.

a friend of mine is there right now if i hear back from him by wednesday night i'll let you know, i suggested to him to do a day trip into winchell, looks like a cool lake with nice pike and lakers

Was on Brule over opener. Tough fishing. We primarily fished cone bay to stay out of the gale force winds that were pounding across the lake all weekend. Did not catch a walleye, but did catch some really nice smallies and a handful of northerns. We fished shallow and deep, with leeches and minnows, but caught almost everything on cranks in 4 - 8 feet. Was my first time to Brule so I don't have a ton of experience on that lake. Just be prepared for some wind in the afternoons!

Thanks. We are putting on brule and making a large loop possibly up thru the temperance up to cherokee. And heading towards winchell and needs and gaskin.

quote shock: "a friend of mine is there right now if i hear back from him by wednesday night i'll let you know, i suggested to him to do a day trip into winchell, looks like a cool lake with nice pike and lakers"

Please reply back even if not by wednesday. I'm headed that way friday and interested as well.

Just got back from a base camp on Brule. The weather was great but pretty much windy the whole time. We fished from shore during the day from our island campsite and then headed out around sunset when the wind died down.

We were able to hook into one really really nice walleye from camp. 4-5 lbs. right in the middle of the day. There were a couple others from right around camp, but nothing significant.

Around sunset in about 4-6 ft off a wind-blown point we had luck with smaller walleyes that were schooled up.

We caught them on jointed raps, drifting hook and minnow and slip-bobber with minnow.


Good luck.

quote BigCurrent: "Just got back from a base camp on Brule. The weather was great but pretty much windy the whole time. We fished from shore during the day from our island campsite and then headed out around sunset when the wind died down.


We were able to hook into one really really nice walleye from camp. 4-5 lbs. right in the middle of the day. There were a couple others from right around camp, but nothing significant.


Around sunset in about 4-6 ft off a wind-blown point we had luck with smaller walleyes that were schooled up.


We caught them on jointed raps, drifting hook and minnow and slip-bobber with minnow.




We fished Brule Lake for about 30 years, from 1957 on. The walleyes were never in Cone Bay this early. Echo Bay, on North Bay on the map was the best. I'm believer that conditions change over the years. I can recall camping on Brule in the early 1960's, in the first week of June and it snowed. Often, there would still be piles of snow back in the forest. We know the weather has changed.

I would give Echo Bay a try this time of the year. There are several streams that flow into that Bay. Cone Bay gets a lot of portage travel, but we used to catch walleye right in the creek mouth, but not until a couple of weeks into June. The fishing conditions are a head of normal this year, because of the early ice out. We are headed to the Gunflint Trail, the first week of June.

Try portaging into Wench on the west side for trout.

What are you hoping to fish for?

Brule is also a good fishing lake but if you are taking a loop I assume you won't be hanging around Brule too much. If you are fishing Brule i can probably give you a few places to look depending on what you want to catch.

I've heard S. Temperance can be very good for walleye but haven't fished it yet. Seems like many of the other lakes (Cherokee, Gaskin, etc.) aren't as good for walleye but smallmouth are pretty much always around somewhere.

Also a few trout lakes in the area. People mentioned Winchell. I haven't fished Winchell real hard so can't add too much other than its a really pretty lake unless the wind is blowing from the east or west, generally it seems to be blowing from the direction I need to travel. I've also heard rumors of some very large pike in Winchell although catching them is probably a challenge given the water depth.

Other than that the only advice I can offer is to paddle Brule early in the day. Ecspecially if you are headed west into the main body of the lake. It can be a bugger if the wind is howling which it always is on Brule.

we are after smallies mostly but we are gonna chase other species as well like walleye northerns and trout. probably just gonna hang out on brule the first day then head north towards gaskin and winchell and maybe meeds. then if time allows we wouldnt mind heading towards cherokee and the temperance lakes.

How long of a trip are you planning? Also what route are you taking up to Winchell and Gaskin? Are you going through the Cones or through Grassy Lake?

Thursday morning till Monday afternoon. And I heard grassy is dried up so we will probably go up the cones.

If you plan to hang out on Brule for a day you won't have time to go up to Winchell, Gaskin, and Meeds and still do Cherokee and the Temperance Lakes, atleast if you want time to fish.

Also Grassy Lake is dried up but you can still portage around it. I did that route last August and I think its the faster of the 2 routes so I wouldn't dismiss the grassy lake route. Just be prepared for a long portage around the lake (about a mile total).

So on Thursday when you are on Brule you can look at Cone Bay, its a good spot for smallies but smallies can be found in many areas of the lake. I tend to stay on the east end of Brule since there are more areas to get out of the wind if need be. Look for rocky points and start there. Best luck has been on light natural colored lures. East end of Brule Island can be good for walleye.

If I were you I'd fish the east half of Brule on Thursday, get up on Friday and head to Winchell through Grassy Lake and give Winchell a shot for some trout. If you get an early start you should have camp set up on Winchell by early/mid afternoon depending on your group, leaving you the rest of Friday to fish. Saturday I'd head up to Gaskin or Meeds and set up camp, that should be a fairly easy travel day giving you time to fish. Then on Sunday you can either start working your way back to Brule (maybe take the Cone route back since you'd have the prevailing wind at your back on Brule) or stay and fish the Gaskin/Meeds area and surrounding lakes and then make Monday a longer travel day back to the Brule EP.

If you want lots of time to fish make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew in terms of distances you want to travel. Get up early and make sure to have campe set up by early afternoon so you have time to get out for the evening bite. That should also help assure that you can find a campsite. Should be ok on Winchell but Brule and the Gaskin area can get crowded.

sorry lazyleft havent heard from him. he moved back to oregon right after his trip must be buzy LOL