Detroit Lakes Fishing & Ice Report (12/30/25)

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 are biting from 9 am to 4 pm near weedlines in 10’-12’, but ‘gills have also been schooling deeper in 16’-26’.  Crappies can be found along weedlines too, and suspended above deeper holes on some lakes.  It’s been a 30-90 minute “flash bite” for both crappies and walleyes in the evenings, but the timing has changed, from day to day.  Your best bet is 4:00-7:30 for crappies, and 5-9 pm for walleye.  Wax worms on a small jig and fathead minnows on a small hook and splitshot have brought fish through ice in our houses.  Good luck to all of you anglers, and Happy New Year!

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Let’s go fishing!!

Our calendar is filling up more and more each day but there are still opportunities to book single day house and overnight Ice Castle rentals. Want a little support? Book a guided trip with me! Click below to see availability and book today!