An angler's favorite fishing resort on MN's
Leech Lake. Brindley's Harbor central location is near hot
spots for walleye, muskie, and perch. Quickly fish Pine Point,
Stony Point, Ottertail Point, Traders Bay, Agency Bay, Goose Island,
Walker Narrows, and The Hardwoods.
We feature a protected marina with a 17 foot
wide concrete ramp. There are 37 rental slips with electricity,
bumpers and lights for boats up to 26 feet. See
Harbor and Boats for details on our high
quality Lund boats and Honda outboard motor rentals. We sell
ice, tackle, maps and premium or regular gasoline. In the lodge we have a
snack bar for pizza, beverages, candy and ice cream. Free fish
cleaning.
For basic lodging needs we offer 16 housekeeping
cabins from one to four bedrooms. New 3 and 4 bedroom homes
are available for visitors who seek luxury accommodations.
Muskie, and Jumbo Perch fishing on Leech Lake
are legendary
. . . and Brindley’s prime
Pine Point location provides ready access to many
of the lakes most popular and productive
sites.
Topics
On This Page:
(for speedy access click on the
subject of interest)
Brindley's Harbor is on the Traders
Bay side of Pine Point. The nearby Roosevelt Canal provides boat
access to Agency Bay.
We are 15 road miles from Walker MN
Walleye:
Update - May 15, 2008
The 2008 fishing opener was cold . .
. with ice jambs still floating on much of the main basin and almost
all of Walker Bay. On Saturday there was much success catching large
fish in the 20 to 29 inch range. Many long time guests reported
"the best fishing ever".
Fish under the protected 18-26" slot were a bit tough to find
but with the great big fish bite guests had a lot of fun. Sunday was slower but still respectable. On Monday a
brisk SE wind again turned the big fish on and we saw more success with the
under 18 inch fish.
One group of
long time guests for the opener had - 16
people and caught a total of 187 walleyes. 38 walleye were under 18
inch "keepers".
Anglers are having great fun catching and releasing many 20
to 29 inch walleye ! There are good schools of 15-18 inch fish
from the 2005 year class and the heavily stocked 2006 year class has a
phenomenal survival rate.
October 2007 - Report from Brindley's Harbor
Spring and summer walleye fishing success on Leech
Lake is clearly the best in five years. While most success was at night, there were frequent
day time catches of 5-10 fish per outing. In any given week, a
majority of our guest
anglers had a night in which they caught and released more than 12 fish
per boat.
There
were numerous occasions when a boat with two or three anglers caught in
excess of 30 fish in a four hour outing.
Most of these fish were 20-25
inches in length and great fun to battle. If you enjoy catch
and release of big fish, put Leech Lake and Brindley's Harbor
on your list of 2008 walleye destinations.
We remain optimistic about the
abundance of smaller fish not in the protected 18-26 inch protected
slot size. The 2005 year class and the 2006 year class
(enhanced by a stocking of over 22 million fry) have had excellent
survival rates. By fall of 2008, the huge 2006 year class will
be large enough to keep for enjoying a delicious meal.
The best success continues to be in
the evening hours from 8:00 pm to 12:00 pm. The popular
tactic is trolling a Rapala "SHADRAP" or equivalent. A #5
runs about nine feet deep and a #7 will run at about eleven feet
deep. If you prefer to "jig", green is historically a
preferred color. Since our harbor staff has contact with
almost all boats entering or leaving the harbor and regularly talk
with the professional guides, they are well equipped to advise our
guests of the current “hot” baits and areas.
So . . . plan a trip
and give us a call for reservations. If the budget allows consider
a professional guide. (Quality guides are charging about $335 per
day). Bring gear to enable night fishing. Make sure the lights on
your boat work and that you have a comfortable life jacket to wear.
Come and enjoy the comforts of Brindley's and the joys of the Leech
Lake Area.
Slot Limits:
As with most of Minnesota's
large walleye lakes, Leech Lake has slot limits. All
walleye from 18" through 26" must be immediately returned to the water.
One fish over 26" is allowed in possession. The daily and possession
limit is four fish.
The following excerpt is from the
MN Department of Natural Resources "Leech Lake Update" dated September 25, 2006.
Leech Lake Gillnetting
The Walker Area Fisheries office finished the
gillnet survey of Leech Lake on September 15. Since 1983, Leech
Lake is sampled annually with gillnets. Nets are set in the same
locations and at the same time of year. In this way, we can
compare net catches from year to year.
What we found was very encouraging! The overall
gillnet catch of walleye was 7.1 per net, up from 4.9 per net
last year. The catch rate was even higher in the main lake (8.7
per net). While large walleye are still present in good numbers,
nearly one-half of the walleye catch were from the 2005 and 2006
year classes. Further, growth of age 1 walleye (2005 year class)
indicates they will reach keeper sizes early next year. We are
hearing some fall anglers are keeping walleye that are 13 inches
in length.
There is more good news from our gillnet survey.
The catch of yellow perch in the main lake increased
dramatically from last year, primarily perch less than 7 inches
in length. This is likely the result of good natural
reproduction and the double-crested cormorant control over the
past two years. With a larger population of small yellow perch
currently in the lake, better catches of big yellow perch are
likely to follow in the coming years. Anglers this fall,
however, are catching good numbers of big yellow perch.
Click Here to see a PDF file
with the entire update including charts. The DNR web page with this report is at:
www.dnr.state.mn.us/news/releases/index.html?id=1161706263.
To read past MN DNR reports and related articles from Pat, Harlan and the
area DNR staff click here. "Fishing
Articles"
Muskies:
Rob caught
this 54 inch monster 9/12/06
Wow!
Leech Lake continues to verify
it's reputation as one of the nations premier Muskie fisheries. The Leech
Lake strain of muskie is recognized as one of the most aggressive and
rapidly growing anywhere. It has distinctive black spots on
silver skin. Trophy class fish above 50 inches tend to be recorded
in late summer through October.
Unofficial tally of:
The Frank Schneider Jr. Memorial Tournament
held September 7 - 9, 2007
39 of the total 93 fish registered came
from Leech Lake.
Both the 1st place winner (with four fish) and the 2nd
place winner (with three fish) enjoyed their success on Leech.
Muskie Photos
Brindley’s
guests often share photos of their released Leech Lake Muskies.
We
congratulate them and thank them for their sportsmanship in preserving this special
predator.
Kendall, pictured on the left
often fishes until mid November. Mike, pictured on right, and Kendall
each catch multiple fish annually.
Twin Cities Chapter
Tournament
Ken - 46.5", 10/8/04
Len - 44", 10/15/04
Deb - 49", 9/11/06
Carl - 51", 10/15/04
Nick - 43", 10/16/04
Bob - 48", 10/25/04
Perch:
Perch
are the pan fish of choice for Leech Lake. They are very abundant and
can be found almost anywhere on the lake. In summer nice perch are readily caught off
the 4 lake
piers at Brindley's Harbor and provide lots of fun angling for young and old alike.
They are great eating and if the kids catch a basketful for "mom", our
harbor staff will fillet them for "dad".
Large catches of
"Jumbo" perch are common in mid September and October with another nice Jumbo
bite in March.
Ice Anglers, click to see
details of our guided package under
the "Ice
Fishing" page
Leech Lake remains one of Minnesota’s top fishing lakes. There are acres and acres of
UN-crowded clear water to explore, fish and just generally enjoy. Brindley’s is
a great place to call home while you enjoy the lake.
After you catch the fish,
sip a cool beverage while we clean !
Each year our harbor staff
cleans many thousands of fish . . . Yes, we fillet, wrap and freeze the fish for our
guests! We remove all the bones, even the "Y" bones on Northern
Pike. It’s complimentary.
Professional
Guides:
Tim Campbell and Mike Bridges
of our staff, guide only in the winter season but
are charged with keeping our summer guests updated on "hot spots" and
"hot techniques" shared by other quests and drawn from their own
personal experience. Their famous harbor service includes meeting and
greeting most boats arriving in the harbor so you will have considerable daily
contact with them.
We encourage guests unfamiliar with the lake to employ a
professional guide early in their
stay to help maximize fishing success. There are 10 or so area
professionals who are well equipped to share their knowledge of the lake and
their skills in catching fish. The guides typically meet you with their
boat at Brindley's gas dock. Guide boats are well rigged with multiple
depth finders, GPS and the latest electronic tools to maximize success.
Most of their boats are comfortable for up to three guest anglers. Daily
fees range from $300 to $335. While guides operate
independently of Brindley's Harbor Resort, we will be pleased to assist
with contact information and logistics in booking arrangements.
Several of the quality profession
guides we work with frequently are:
A
brief introduction to each may be seen by clicking on the
name list. Click back to return to this page.
Fishing License Sales
Brindley's Harbor no longer sells Fishing and Hunting licenses !
In 2000 the State of Minnesota initiated an instant on line (or
telephone) license issuing program and retailers must have an on line
terminal to sell
licenses across the counter. (The "Y Mart" and "Reeds
Sporting Goods" among other local retailers continue to offer
over the counter licenses.)
To get an Instant MN License by phone or via the internet:
dial toll free:
1-888-MNLicense.
(1-888-665-4236)
or go online to:
www.dnr.state.mn.us
Have your credit card and personal information ready when you call.
(MN residents will need their drivers license number). You will be issued an instant "License
Identification Number" (LIN) so
you may begin to fish or hunt immediately. Phone or online license
sales are assessed an additional $3.50 convenience fee.
2008 Minnesota Resident Fishing License Fees
(Price does not include a $3.50 fee for telephone
or DNR web site purchases)
Individual (age 16 and over)
$17.00
Combination (husband, wife)
$25.00
Individual 24 Hour
$8.50
2008 Non-resident Fishing License Fees
(Price does not include a $3.50 fee for telephone
or DNR web site purchases)
Individual
$37.50
Family (one or both parents and children
under age 16)
$50.50
Individual 7 Day
$26.50
Individual 24 Hour
$8.50
Individual 72 Hour
$22.00
Husband & Wife 14 Day
$38.50
Individual Youth (under 16)
$17.00
2008 Seasons and
Limits for Leech Lake
Species
Open Season
Possession Limit
Walleye
May 10,
2008 (to)
February 22, 2009
All from
18" through 26" must be immediately returned to the water. One fish
over 26" allowed in possession. Daily and possession limit is 4 fish.
Northern Pike
May 10,
2008 (to)
February 22, 2009
3 (not more than 1over 30 inches may be taken each day)
Muskellunge
June
7,
2008 (to)
December 1, 2008
1 - (minimum
48 inches) -
New
Largemouth Bass
May 24,
2008 (to)
February 22, 2009
6
Perch
Continuous
20
daily/40 in possession
Crappie
Continuous
10
Sunfish & Bluegill
Continuous
20
Future Opening Dates for
Walleye, Bass and Muskie
Walleye
Bass
Muskie
2009
May 9
May 23
June 6
2010
May 15
May 29
June 5
Brindley's Harbor Resort Inc.
Jean, Paris, Tim and Greg Campbell
9530 Pine Point Road NW - Walker, MN 56484
E-mail at: info@brindleysharbor.com
Toll Free Telephone 888-547-5477
Perch
are the pan fish of choice for Leech Lake. They are very abundant and
can be found almost anywhere on the lake. In summer nice perch are readily caught off
the 4 lake
piers at Brindley's Harbor and provide lots of fun angling for young and old alike.
They are great eating and if the kids catch a basketful for "mom", our
harbor staff will fillet them for "dad".
