Detroit Lakes fishing

jmkilber

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Hey all,

I will be heading to DL this coming week for family vacation. I have fished it before, but usually just focus on panfish and bass. I was wondering if anyone might have some tips or ideas on targeting walleye in Detroit Lakes?

The lake always seems pretty weedy to me, so it doesn't seem like it makes much sense to drag a BB through most areas.

Any ideas on what presentations might be good or what area of the lake would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
 


8andcounting

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Dynamite . I didn't know there was walleyes in Minnesota ? All the Devils lake resorts are loaded with cars from Minnesota every week
 

Duckslayer100

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I honestly quit targeting walleye in Minnesota past the second or third week of June. Right now they're just getting over a huge mayfly hatch in the DL/OT area, but there may be some willing biters.

I think most people search deep, but I've heard you can have pretty good luck trolling in about 8FOW with a lindy rig and crawler. Seems stupid shallow, but my uncles were guided on Ottertail last year in the middle of summer and they said that's how they got them -- with pontoon boats and jet skiers all around.
 

Big Iron

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Middle of the night with a slip bobber and a leopard frog. Look Out.
 

guywhofishes

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Hey all,

I will be heading to DL this coming week for family vacation. I have fished it before, but usually just focus on panfish and bass. I was wondering if anyone might have some tips or ideas on targeting walleye in Detroit Lakes?

The lake always seems pretty weedy to me, so it doesn't seem like it makes much sense to drag a BB through most areas.

Any ideas on what presentations might be good or what area of the lake would be much appreciated.
Thanks!

hang leeches under slip bobbers outside LARGE WALL weed beds - 14-20FOW... about 4 feet off the bare bottom or 2 feet above if weeds.

If panfish or rockbass are hassling you then move over/deeper. After trial/error you WILL find places that yield large bass and walleyes and relatively few panfish. Buy a 1/2 lb of lake run eeches so that you don't lose confidence and you can just keep searching. If you have an underwater camera then take it with you and look for agitated walleyes and target them with slip bobbers and leeches.

Last weekend galwhofishes and I went to Big Cormorant on Saturday - same day that the crazy Rock Out with Your Dock Out gig was on Big C. HOLY MOLY for boat/pontoon/jetski traffic!

Our primary reason for being there wasn't fishing or partying - but before we left we decided to fish for a couple hours (we used to hit Big C a lot and we know some old spots).

At 1:00 or so on a hot sunny day we caught a 17", two 19"s, and a 21" smack dab in the traffic, waves, heat.... fishing just for kicks really - not a serious effort. While galwhofishes was catching those all on her own I was pitching plastics and getting lots of big northerns (for MN) and nice SM bass. I was trying to get the walleyes going on pitch baits but they are very wily it seems on the plastics. We had moved maybe 5 times to get out of the panfish. We were maybe 10 ft out from the weed wall.

I had forgotten how good MN walleye fishing was IF you figure out what makes them tick. They are not like ND walleyes that's for sure. A lot of my MN/walleye friends will lindy rig with plain leeches and crawlers for them outside weed edges. But I HATE dragging things around slowly as most know. And how they deal with perch and gills is beyond me.

- - - Updated - - -

2017-07-08 16.42.13_reduced.jpg
the 21... or maybe it was 22. I forget.

- - - Updated - - -

that white thing to the left of galwhofishes is Royce wearing his patented white reflective water gown - very fetching eh?

fetching... ha ha ha

- - - Updated - - -

you can see the hole for his tail right next to gal's hip pocket
 


Duckslayer100

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hang leeches under slip bobbers outside LARGE WALL weed beds - 14-20FOW... about 4 feet off the bare bottom or 2 feet above if weeds.

But I HATE dragging things around slowly as most know. And how they deal with perch and gills is beyond me.

So you hate moving slow, but you fish with slip bobbers?? :confused:
 

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