Fishing Report

Find out where fish are biting and bait to use in the area fishing report each week. Get Hooked in Detroit Lakes will give you an inside look from fishing guides on which area lakes are best bets for the fish you’re out to catch and the bonus experiences of being out on the water.

This is the area fishing report for Wednesday, April 15, 2026 sponsored by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce. 

Lake ice is melting fast and water is already appearing near shore on many lakes. Some small ponds are already ice free. The sun and wind over the next two days will accelerate this process significantly. While there is still very thick mid-lake ice, it’s still safe to say the ice will go out earlier than I first thought. Can’t wait that long? Fishing is still hot in South Dakota and on the Mississippi but, while the catch and release walleye season has passed up north, the most memorable fishing of the year begins April 24 and runs for 3 weeks on Rainy River. If you have not fought a sturgeon in a current, on a proper heavy duty pole with braided line as thick as a rope, I recommend you get your priorities straight and clear your plans and make the drive to the border. Next week, I’ll offer some tips–some unorthodox–on how to catch dinosaurs that swim among us. I’m getting excited just thinking about it!

Brady Baxter
Owner and Fishing Guide
Baxstar Fishing LLC
baxstarfishing.com
brady@baxstarfishing.com
701-261-3703