Detroit Lakes Fishing Report: Extended Edition (7/29/25)
- Brady Baxter
- Jul 29, 2025
- 2 min read
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!
It’s the dog days of summer folks! The fishing has been a bit slow some days, but we’ve managed to catch a lot of fish other days. The bottom line is, inconsistency persists in the Detroit Lakes area.
To be clear, the fish are usually biting on slow days, but the bite is so light that it takes more concentration and good form to catch them. My advice? Keep your rod tip high when jigging, and loosen your grip on handle and choke up on your rod. This will help you detect those light bites. When you get a bite, pause and confirm your catch by looking for a bend in your rod. When you see a bend or a dancing rod tip, set the hook firmly without a jerking motion. I hope these tips help you hook the next elusive fish that tries to steal your bait!
So, where are the fish? That is the reason you are reading this, right? You’ll find eater-sized walleye and big pike deep in 18’-25’ but bigger eyes are still being caught as shallow as 6’ in the weeds. Slip bobbering has been a great all around option for catching ‘gills and walleyes, but my customers are having a blast pitching jigs and drop shot rigs in 20’-25 near deep weedlines on long bars extending from shore, and weeds found near midlake structure. Both bass and crappies have been active in 10’-15’ near and above weedlines, while bluegills have been trending shallower, in 8’-12’. Leeches are still catching fish, but I recommend having small suckers and crawlers on the boat, too. White, gold, and clown colors are all great options right now.
Finally, if you do go musky fishing please be prepared with the essentials: a big net, jaw spreader, large needle nose pliers and a heavy duty hook cutter. Have a plan for removing the hook while the fish is in the water, and releasing the fish as soon as possible. With hot air temps and water temps hovering around 75° and rising it's a dangerous time to handle these big creatures. If a musky's fins turn red, it is an indicator that they are stressed and at a higher risk of dying. All things considered, if you can postpone your musky trip a month (or two, really) it will be better fishing and safer for the species.
That's all for this week. Thanks for reading, and good luck fishing!
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