Guides

Brainerd Area Fishing Guides

Book a Guided Fishing Trip and we’ll take care of everything for you, from the large, comfortable boats holding up to 3 adults, to outfitting you with state-of-the-art fishing gear (24 hour notice required). Our expert fishing guides can take you to the hot spots on Gull, or to the famous walleye factory better known as Mille Lacs Lake. A little farther north lies another famous sport fishing water –Leech Lake– where you can go after the king of gamefish, the Muskie.
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Meet Our Expert Guides!

Bruce Fremstad

Guiding Experience: 15 years
Species Specialize In: All species
Lakes Guide On: Most lakes in the Brainerd Lakes Area
Guiding Territory Range: 30 miles
Favorite Lake/Fish: Gull for walleye, bass and panfish
Most Famous Person Guided For: Tubby Smith (former Gopher Basketball coach)
Maximum Party Size: 3 persons
Equipment/Gear Used: Crestliner Boat, Yamaha Motor, Abu Garcia Reels

Favorite Fishing Story: I was in the boundary waters fishing smallmouth with a good friend and my 5 year old son. The fish were biting extremely well, however, my son was not catching much and wouldn’t cast to where the fish were biting. He kept saying he could see a BIG fish below the canoe and was determined to get that one. I kept trying to get him to give up on that one fish and cast to the active fish but he was bound and determined he was going to catch the one he could see. After about a half hour of trying, he wound up catching a 23-1/2 inch smallmouth that weighed approx. 7 pounds. I’ll never forget the smile on his face as he said TOLD YOU DAD.

Royal Karels

In 2016, Royal was elected to the Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame. Royal spends nearly every guide trip in the summer and fall on lakes in the Brainerd area fishing for bass. He catches many other species on these trips as well. Royal prefers to practice catch and release. He considers his trips “action trips” where the clients are able to set the hook and reel in the fish. He takes photos and everyone has fun!

Guiding Experience: 50 years
Species Specialize In: Bass, northern, panfish
Lakes Guide On: 30 to 40 in the Brainerd Lakes Area
Guiding Territory Range: 30 miles
Favorite Lake/Fish: Gull Lake for bass and panfish
Most Famous Person Guided For: Dutch & Irma Cragun, Wally Hillgenberg (MN Viking), Randy Wittman (MN Timberwolves coach)
Maximum Party Size: 3 persons
Equipment/Gear Used: Ranger boat, Suzuki motor, Shimano reels, Fenwick rods

Favorite Fishing Story: When I find a good bass lake, I’m reluctant to tell anyone the lake’s name. Actually, I wouldn’t tell my own mother. I don’t fish Rabbit Lake near Crosby anymore, but for years I did and no one ever found out about it. One day, I was nearing the lake on a guiding trip and the guy asked me where we were going. The question caught me off guard, but just then we were passing a road construction sign and I answered the question by saying we’re going to “Loose Gravel Lake.” He believed me and the lake got a new name.

Royal loves fishing the Brainerd Lakes Area – Visit his BrainerdFishingGuide Website.

Bobby G (Bob Gessell)

Guiding Experience: since 2004
Species Specialize In: Walleye, bass, northern, pan fish, stream trout
Lakes Guide On: Most Lakes in the Brainerd area, Leech and Mille Lacs
Guiding Territory Range: 30 miles but will travel to the big lakes
Favorite Lake/Fish: Gull for Bass and pan fish, Leech Lake for Walleye
Most Famous Person Guided For: My mother, she brought me into this world so who can argue with that!
Maximum Party Size: 3 to 4 people

Equipment/Gear Used:  2012 Yar Craft 2095 BTX tiller with 150 HP Mercury Verado four-stroke. 20′ boat with four power pedestal seats, motor guide trolling motor and 2 Humminbird Graphs, one for GPS and one for sonar.  State of the art rods and reels and bait provided.  Underwater camera for use by request.  I am a 6th grade mathematics teacher by trade so I understand young adults too.

Favorite Fishing Story: I took my son camping and fishing on Namakan Lake on the Minnesota-Canadian border when he was around 8 years old.  The first night in the tent on our camping site, I got a question from him about every noise we heard while trying to fall asleep.  I must have gotten up a dozen or so times to check out our camp site with a flash light to make sure no bear were in the area and to give him peace of mind.  We finally both fell asleep that night and had a great fishing trip with him catching the biggest walleye and small mouth bass ever.  Now I bring ear plugs for him to wear so that I can get to sleep sooner!