Eigen does a great deal of guiding on Whitefish and said the chain is the only other one in the area besides Gull with the best potential for producing trophy fish. Unlike Gull, Whitefish tends to have one species here and another species elsewhere. "They are usually found pretty close to one another, but you don't catch too many mixed species in one spot."

This means that when fishing Whitefish, an angler really needs to target one species of fish rather than shotgunning for whatever is biting. The chain is 14,000 acres in size, meaning there is too much water to cover without a plan for several specific spots for a specific species.

With lush weedbeds and tons of classic structure, a lake map is a must. Anglers can find a few spots on the map, but the best advice is to contact a guide or local bait shop to find out where they are hitting.

Contacts: Brainerd Lakes Area Chambers of Commerce, 1-800-450-2838, www.explorebrainerdlakes.com or www.whitefishchain.com.

LAKE VERMILION
Ask anybody who has extensively fished Vermilion and they'll tell you the same thing -- the west end and east end are like two different lakes. Gary Kvitek guides all over the lake for a wide variety of species, including northerns, muskies, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappies, perch and bluegills.

"I do about 120 trips a year and I think that August is one of the better times to come up here for all species," Kvitek said.

For walleyes, Kvitek said the west end is best fished along the weedlines with Lindy Rigs tipped with nightcrawlers, while the east end tends to be better with spinners in deeper water along the structure and mud humps. Anglers have also stumbled upon tasty jumbo perch up to 13 inches in the same areas.

Northern pike really turn on in July once the cabbage beds come up, and they stay hot throughout August. The weeds adjacent to rockpiles are another good location for northerns, and the muskies.

Crappies can be tough to find in late summer, but the rockpiles on the west end are the best bet. Bluegills are everywhere throughout the lake, especially along the weeds on the west end.

Smallmouth bass are found throughout the lake on the rockpiles, especially those areas that also feature rubble. Largemouth bass are often overlooked but are very eager to bite throughout the west end.

Contacts: Gary's Fishing Guide Service, (218) 744-3158 or www.garytheguide.com; Lake Vermilion Area Chamber of Commerce, 1-800-TOWER-MN or www.lakevermilionchamber.com.

OTTER TAIL LAKE
Otter Tail is the largest lake in the county, covering more than 13,000 acres, most of which are less than 15 feet deep. It is part of a larger chain of lakes that offer excellent fishing for a variety of species as well.

Tom Johnson has fished the lake throughout his life and always knew it was a great fishery, but it took fishing numerous other bodies of water for him to realize how much he loves Otter Tail. The DNR loves Otter Tail, as well, and uses walleyes from the lake as part of the statewide stocking program. "There are a ton of walleyes of all sizes, 10 to 20 inches and up, though the lake is not known for having many really big fish," he said.

As a result, he estimates that at least 90 percent of the anglers on the lake are targeting walleyes. The walleyes like to sit inside the cabbage weeds in 10 feet of water all the way out to the weedline in 18 to 22 feet. Johnson said to start shallow and work down to the deeper spots. "Crankbaits on the flats work well but a Lindy Rig and nightcrawler is hard to beat," he said. The lake is full of perch, including some jumbos that tend to be caught by walleye anglers.