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 Tuesday, May 13, 2025, sponsored by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce. 

The 2025 opener delivered mixed results—and a whole lot of wind! Water temps ranged from 55° to 62°, which is cool but typical for this time of year. Once temps hit the upper 60s, the walleye bite should really take off. Walleyes were caught in depths ranging from 3’ to 12’, so be ready to move around and explore using your electronics. Live bait is producing best right now, and the shiner bite should stay strong for the next few weeks. Aggressive pike are cruising in 8’-10’ and hitting just about anything you throw. Bass—both smallmouth and largemouth—are fired up in shallow water, from 2’-4’. Chatterbaits, lipless cranks, and jig/minnow combos are all turning heads. The panfish bite is excellent in shallow water, too. In fact, the big bluegill bite might be the best of all right now—and it’s only going to get better over the next month. Thanks for reading, and good luck out there this week.  Don’t forget to bring a coat!

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