Randy Hunter's monster walleye! Thanks to all of you anglers that braved the wind and the tough bite to make this year’s Poles N Holes Fishing tournament a success.  I met a lot of great anglers who stepped inside the fish houses I had on the ice for a moment to chat, and to warm up!  I look forward to seeing you all again at next year’s derby.   While the fishing was a little tough this past week, the bite should improve soon with consistent mild weather in the forecast.  Bi

Anglers have experienced ups and downs the past week, as fishing stabilizes after extreme cold at the end of January. Bluegills continue to bite all day, both in weeds and basins up to 25’. Big pike are getting aggressive, chasing bluegills in the same depths, and are being caught on large sucker minnows. Schools of crappies can be found suspended and near the bottom with bluegills in a wide range of depths, up to 25’, and suspended in schools in up to 60’ of water. Search ar

The picture is a little blurry, but it's still a must see! Your hand would be trembling too, if you just witnessed your dad pull a 29" walleye out of the lake. 😃 While walleye fishing tends to get tough this time of year, my customers caught the biggest walleyes of the season this past weekend on Little DL. The crappie bite was solid too as it continues to grow to include daylight hours, which is great news!  Waxies continue to catch panfish but medium-sized fathead minnows

Nasty weather really put a damper on the bite this past weekend, and frigid temperatures will persist through this weekend. It’s not all bad news though—fish still bite when it’s cold. In fact, the bite improved for some on Sunday, the coldest day of the week. The most successful anglers had one word for me: tungsten . Tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms helped anglers catch finicky crappies all over Detroit Lake. The bite wasn’t fantastic, but it was steady, and many caught

The bite has been red hot over the past week, with crappies, bluegills, pike, and walleyes all actively feeding. Low-light hours around sunrise and sunset remain the best window for 'eyes and crappies, with the walleye bite often extending until about 9 p.m. Small minnows and waxworms have been top producers, including walleyes hitting spoons tipped with waxies.  On Little Detroit, fish are being caught in and around weedlines in 10–14 feet of water, while other area lakes ar

Happy New Year, anglers! 2026 has been a mixed bag so far—I saw big walleyes caught this weekend, but I was also snubbed by more crappies than I’d care to admit. 😢  Walleyes are still biting after sunset, with the best window between 7–9 pm.  They are roaming weedlines in 10’–15’ on Little Detroit, though others report catching ‘eyes as deep as 22’ on nearby lakes.  A big fathead or small sucker on a deadstick is tough to beat.  The bluegill bite has been phenomenal during d

As 2025 comes to a close, the fishing is heating up!  Ice conditions are variable in the 412 area, with drifts forming in spots.  Ice thickness ranges from 12”-15” on all lakes I’ve fished the past week.  Little Detroit Lake has 15” and it is still very accessible, with both cars and trucks entering and exiting the lake. The public access next to J and K Marina and across from Lakeside restaurant is the only way to enter onto the lake, currently. Bluegills, pike, and bass

Happy holidays to all of you anglers out there!  If you get a chance to head out on the ice the next few days, here are a few tips.  Lake ice varies greatly and many lakes are not safe for driving yet.  Little Detroit is an exception and there have been a handful of trucks and Ice Castles on the lake the past few days.  The ice is 14” thick in most spots on Little DL except for the area near the river and the sandbar.  You owe it to yourself to feel safe so please do not driv

Cold temperatures have caused lake ice to build fast this past week, but snow has presented anglers with challenges.  It is becoming difficult to pull sleds on some lakes, and the sheer weight of the snow is already causing slushy situations in some places.  Wheelers are still able to access many areas, but you must be very careful in areas near running water, where the ice is still dangerously thin.  Ice thickness varies widely from lake to lake, so be very careful out there

Ice fishing has officially begun in the Detroit Lakes area! On Friday, I recorded a consistent 6” on Big and Little Detroit. Today, Little DL is at 8¼”. It’s amazing how fast ice builds when it’s this cold.  South Lida was 5½–6½” on Saturday, and it’s likely near 8” now. There are ice ridges at every Detroit Lake access, which may make getting on a bit tricky.  Unfortunately, snow is piling up and forming hard-packed drifts up to 12” deep. These will grow over the next 24 hou

Picture from the new access on the north side of Big Detroit Lake. Note, the dark area is ice, not open water. Lakes are freezing over, and it is happening fast, which is a good reason to be excited! I have heard reports of people venturing out onto the ice, so I really want to stress the importance of patience. While there may be 3”–4” on parts of certain lakes, that does not account for inconsistencies in the ice. Please give it a few more days before you consider walking

Garmin's LiveScope forward facing sonar in action. Welcome to this week’s Black Friday edition of the Detroit Lakes Fishing Report!  As I write this, snow is covering the ground.  It’s like a shock to the system for anglers–signaling it’s time to get ice fishing gear in working order!  That means taking stock of what you have and what you need, and want you really want ! Many of you want or have forward facing sonar (FFS) transducers—a game-changer that lets you see fish mo

If you’re still out fishing, look for walleyes (and other species) where you found them in the spring - often shallow, near first breaklines by shore.  Just remember to stay safe out there!  Now is the time of year to assess the ice fishing gear you packed away last spring, to prepare for the upcoming hardwater season.  Worn out auger blades, old line, and jigs with chipped paint are common items I replace each year.  It’s also a great time of year to update the software on y

Does this week’s picture get you excited?  It should!  Unless your boat doubles as an ice breaker, the season is over!  We’ll have open water for a little longer, but the writing is on the wall.  That’s it for open water reports for the year, but next week we will dive into ice fishing preparation.  I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait!!  Good luck to those still braving the cold–and be careful.  To all you ice fisherman, tune in to next week’s report! Baxstar's Ice Fishi

It’s time to go big or go home.  The Detroit Lakes area offers some of the best musky fishing in the region.  Pelican and Detroit Lake are both excellent choices and I’d give the edge to Detroit, this time of year.  I tapped former MN musky record holder and guide Andrew Slette this week to get the scoop.  He told me the sucker bite has been strong in 12’ on the sand, and 18’ off the weeds.  If you have more than one angler in the boat, don’t hesitate to have one person casti

With all the docks removed from area lakes, the open water season is nearing its end.  For those still venturing out walleye fishing, start your search near the first breaklines by shore and bring minnows of various sizes with you.  We’ve had the most success this past week in 11'-15’ near shallow weedlines but others have reported catching ‘eyes in 10’-30’.  Jigs and drop shots have both produced fish but Lindy rigs are an excellent choice as well.  That’s all for now.  Next

Break out that ice fishing jacket and hit the water–you will be rewarded! It doesn’t matter what species you want to target, they are all feeding like crazy on medium to large minnows.  Walleyes are still found at various depths right now.  I recommend searching and fishing for them near sharp breaklines near shore.  You can’t go wrong casting jigs and rigs (including slip bobbers) at shallow weedlines, but you may find them as deep as 30’ and everywhere in between.  If you

With the seasonable weather finally rolling in, reality will be hitting us soon.  It was a good stretch though!  I will be putting my boat into storage next week, unless someone buys it off me first (see details below). While you shouldn’t count out mid-lake structure completely, fish can be found back where they started the open water season–near shore.  Fish “first” breaklines, closest to shore, and you should be able to find what you’re looking for.  Jigs and rigs (includi

Walleyes, and pike, and bass, oh my!  You’ll find them all in a variety of depths right now, as deep as 30’.  My customers and I have had...

Welcome! This Extended Edition of the Detroit Lakes Fishing Report is released every week, and it contains even more tips and insider...