Detroit Lakes Fishing Report: Extended Edition (8/19/25)

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

This week, I’ll talk about walleye and sunfish–the best eaters in our lakes!  ‘Eyes are hungry and stratified perfectly in 28’-32’ on multiple lakes in the area, making them easy to find and even easier to catch.  Because there are very few fish of other species at this depth, you don’t have to deal with small fish stealing your bait.  We’ve been caching the vast majority on a jig tipped with a crawler, but small minnows have worked at times. 

It's important to note, walleye are not this deep in all area lakes. They are hugging deep weedlines in 20'-24' on some lakes and we have also caught them in from 9’-12' on a slip bobber with a crawler or medium sized minnow. In shallower depths, they are mixed in with other species, and they are harder to locate with electronics in the weeds. I suggest looking for a hard shallow bottom that is surrounded by weeds. These hard shallow bottoms are not too hard to find, as they really stick out in otherwise weedy areas.

If you fish deeper than 25’, make an effort to reel in fish slowly, to reduce the risk of barotrauma.  Additionally, we have been catching big sunfish on a drop shot tipped with a crawler outside of deep weedlines.  Overall it’s a good time to catch your limit and have a fish fry. I will cover more species in next week's report. Until then, good luck catching dinner!

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