OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
The Ultimate Outdoor Adventures Up North
BY RACHEL M. ANDERSON • EDITOR & CONTRIBUTING WRITER
( Brainerd)- The Brainerd Lakes Area is one of the most popular destinations in the state for people who enjoy outdoor adventures. There is quite literally something to do for everyone.
The region has hundreds of lakes that offer excellent boating and fishing opportunities. Plus, there are miles of trails where you can go hiking and biking, camping and geocaching. For the adrenaline junkies, there’ s a place you can learn to shoot and hunt, and there are attractions you can visit where you will have an experience unlike anything else anywhere in the world.
What kind of outdoor adventure do you want to go on? Here are some ideas to consider when heading Up North.
GO ON THE ULTIMATE FISHING ADVENTURE
Thanks to all the lakes in the region, the Brainerd Lakes Area is one of Minnesota’ s top multispecies fisheries.
Whether you are looking to delight the little ones with guaranteed success at catching panfish( crappies and bluegills), or want the challenge of catching walleye, large and smallmouth bass, and muskies, there are plenty of fishing guides who can help you out. The Brainerd Lakes Vacationland website has a nice directory at Brainerd. com / business-directory / fishing / guides /
A guide on the list who has been fishing the region for decades is Dan Eigen, owner of Walleye Dan’ s Guide Service. He grew up in Eden Prairie but has been fishing in the Brainerd Lakes Area since he was a child.
“ My father would bring me and my brother up here to fish,” said Eigen, who fell so in love with fishing in the Brainerd Lakes Area that soon after graduating from high school he decided to make a career out of it. He has been working as a fishing guide in the region since he was about 20 years old.
“ I would say 80 percent of the people who fish with us want to target walleyes, and they are most plentiful in the Gull Lake chain, the Whitefish chain, North Long Lake and Pelican Lake,” he said.
So where exactly can you find them? Eigen says that’ s where hiring a guide comes in.
“ The guides are on the water every day and know what kinds of presentations to use at certain times of the year. So, it will save them frustration. If they want to catch fish, the likelihood of catching them is just going to be that much greater with a guide versus going out and trying
to catch them on their own,” said Eigen, who added that all people need is a fishing license and the guides will take care of the rest.
Fishing licenses can be obtained the same day as a fishing trip at any of the bait shops in the region, or they can be secured online in advance on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website: Dnr. state. mn. us / licenses / fishing
GO ON THE ULTIMATE BIKING ADVENTURE
Another popular outdoor adventure to go on in the Brainerd Lakes Area is a biking adventure, and there are all kinds of them to go on. Whether you are looking for a quick, easy ride, or one that is more challenging, once again, the Brainerd Lakes Vacationland website is a wonderful resource: Brainerd. com / recreation / biking / bike-trail-maps /
Dan Cruser, 72, who lives in Cuyuna, says the most popular trails in the region are The Paul Bunyan State Trail, the Cuyuna Mountain Bike Trail System and the Mississippi River Trail( MRT). He has spent many hours traversing all three of them, and many more.
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