2020 Detroit Lakes-Pelican Rapids Fishing Reports - Lake Conditions

[bigbucks]

Hey man you know the term is "shoating flit".

[bigbucks]

Looking for some general guideline of where to attack the walleyes & northerns, as well as panfish on either Lizzie or Crystal next week. We're staying on Lizzie, but it appears to be no problem to get into Crystal. Never fished either before.

Is there a shallow water plug bite on either lake or are they too clear?

Thanks for any help anybody can provide. We don't basically fish bass, but I guess if there's an easy catch somewhere the two 11 year-old boys might enjoy that.

[RK]

Hiya Bigbucks -

Pike on both those lakes are kind of a no-brainer. Toss a single spin or tandem 3/8 oz spinnerbait over the weeds in 5-8 feet of water, and hang on. Can cast or troll crankbaits too but more fuss with the trebles...

Walleyes - like my earlier post said, most of my walleyes are accidental this time of year, but if I had to go catch some on those lakes I'd start with bottom bouncers and spinners along the deep weed edges. If the perch/sunfish/rock bass start driving you batty, speed up.

Panfish - when it's calm you can go look for gills up in the rushes, but for the most part the sunfish we've been getting when I'm out with the kids are off the deep weed edges - sometimes pretty far off the actual weedline. Seems like they're over the 'sticky bottom' marl eating bugs. 14-18 feet seems to be the norm. Find cabbage or deep coontail, start at the weedline and work your way out until you find them. If it's nice, you can find them on the inside weed edges too sometimes. Both lakes are pretty full of them, so it's not too tough...

For bass with the kids, go into the south basin of Lizzie (some call it Rush Lake) and toss spinnerbaits or buzzbaits around the cane. You'll catch both pike and bass, and likely find some sunfish in there too. Fun place to knock around with kids because it's all shallow so they can fish watch while you move around. In the evenings, you can fish topwaters in there too. There can be loads of bass in there at times, but mostly smaller fish.

You should be able to get into Crystal now unless you have a boat with a windshield maybe. Water's really come down the last week or so.

Have fun!

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Ok I went out last night to a small area lake and found the crappies and sunnies were cooperating again. I only stayed for an hour and caught more than 15 I bet. I kept 6 11-12"ers. I threw back some nice ones!!! These were some SLABS!!

I found them just out from the landing in 10 fow on the outside edge of the weeds. It dropped off pretty good on the outside of this little flat on the edge of this weedbed. I would just park along the edge of the weeds, you know the kind that just barely poke out of the water! Than I'd cast along the weed edge, a 1/8 oz jig with a crappie minnow, most of the time I'd get hit on the fall before I started cranking. Other times I'd give it about 5 seconds and slowly reel it in. I caught some dandy sunnies doing this too, the biggest one was a fat 9 incher. It fought like a northern! I'll be out there again tomorrow night!

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Well the good fishing continued this weekend. I made a couple trips back out "in the hills" and tried a couple lakes. Friday night my brother, my son, and I went out from 8-10:00 and just hammered everything. Huge green sunnies, crappies, walleyes, and a couple of 5 pound northerns.

We were anchored on a flat just outside a point that popped out of a weededge. Cast after cast we got bites an caught fish. We boated at least 35-40 crappies, my brother kept 6 and the rest went back. These wre nice fish.. fish in the 11-13 inch range were common. We boated 11 walleyes from the same spot also and a ton of notherns. Those sunnies were big and fat too. We were just casting 1/8 oz jigs tipped with crappie minnows and fatheads. 8-11 fow!!!

Yesterday we took the kids to pick some blueberries and in a couple of hours we picked about a half a gallon! Not too bad but next weekend they ought to be better, there were a lot of unripe berries!

Last night we tried the next lake over and did ok! We caught a lot of crappies but they were out a bit deeper and they weren't as plump as they were the night before! Only 2 walleyes were caught. We did the same thing as far as fishing goes from the night before. We found the best cover we could near a decent flat and pitched jigs along side of the weeds and it produced again.

[Matthew10]

What lake are you fishing? I was just out on Franklin. Did well on sunnies and a few walleye.

[Jim Panfish Uran]

secret lake!!! lol.. too small of a lake to tell everyone where it's at. But the pattern holds true on most lakes. Fish the weed edges.

[paceman]

Great report leech!!!!!

[MN Shutterbug]

Good goin Leechbait.

[RK]

Hiya -

Cool report Leech - sounds like a blast. This is such a great time of year around this area. If you want to just go catch stuff, put a 3 or 4" grub on a 1/8 oz jig and just head down a weedline. You catch about everything in the lake eventually...

[fisherdog19]

Just got back Saturday from a week at Leech lake with the family. That lake is infested with 20-24 inch walleyes Sounds like the pannies are still biting well, I need to get out again after some slabs, got bored with the eyes after a while. Leechbait, we need to get together soon, the after dark crankbait bite should be going good now. Shoot me an email with your number so I can give you a call.

[Scoot]

FD, I know some area lakes that are really producing at night with cranks right now. Sounds like it's been very good for those who have gotten out...

[paceman]

Good report FD. It sounds kind of crazy to get bored with catching eyes. Hopefully that is the case next week as I am heading over to Devils Lake for a few days. Sounds like the bite is dynomite over there.

[fisherdog19]

Scoot, we'll just have to meet up one night and put the hurt on some eye's. We still need to get together and bring the boys out, I've got some good crappie spots where they could catch a ton of them.

[fisherdog19]

Got out yesterday to chase some slabs, got about 30 of them up to 12 inches. They were done biting at 6pm and that seems to be the norm for me in the summer; I can't figure out why they shut down in the evening other then they or switch to a different forage. After that, we went for some eyes (not to aggressively) and my 5 yr old managed a 18.5" eye on a jig and fat head. That's the second time in a week he has out fished me.

[eyehunter]

Seems like you're the only one that made it into the office today Fisherdog....well you and me that is. It's been pretty quiet in here today.

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Good report Fdog. We will definitely have to get out soon. I sent you my #, I'll be taking the wifey out tonight for some crappie action!!! First time on this lake since winter, hopefully we can find them! Windy nights usually produce!

eyehunter you have mail!!!!

[fisherdog19]

Got out again yesterday after some slabs. Found them relating to the weed edge in 6-10 fow; man are they still shallow. Water temp just touching 70 and they were very active. Wanted a jig and crappie minnow, I tried some plastic but they just didn't want it. They also weren't interested in a float, they wanted it moving. Ended up with around 30 crappies in the 10 to 13 inch range, nothing smaller than 10.

[paceman]

I think I have lost my walleye touch. I went out Friday Morning on Big D. Caught 5 small eyes, no keepers plus 4 million small sunnies. Went out to a secret hot spot lake sat. evening and caught bass, northerns, sunnies, perch but no eyes...My boy and I still had a fun time though.

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Fished Big Bass again recently and caught some decent slabs, one was around 14". We also caught a ton of slimers and sunnies. We found the crappies in 14-16 fow mixed in with everything else along the weeds near the north side of the lake. Just drifted around real slow with jigs and minnows.

here's the 14"er

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Found another out of the way lake last night. Me and a cousin were out four wheeling yesterday and looked at a bunch of out of the way lakes. We found one that looked like it had some potential to it, as far as having fish in it. It was next to two other lakes that had a ton of leech traps in it, this one was bigger and it had an old half burned cabin on the other side of it. We went home loaded up his 14 footer in the back of his pick up and got the rods, bait, etc.

The lake ended being over 20' in a couple of spots and definitely held some fish. Lots(25+) of 15-17" walleyes. We even caught some perch that were just shy of 13". We trolled the shorelines, fishing the outside weededges in 13-14 fow. I was using a jig and minnow, he was using a little joe spinner and a leech. They worked equally well.

Probably going to go try it again today as long as the weather holds up.

[SJMyers32]

Fished Sallie tonight and we pulled a couple walleyes out of the weeds, boy they were in tight! Headed over to the Dead C for the moon fishing after dusk. I would have to say that all the fish were hitting really hard on baits today. Didnt matter what kind of meat we put in front of them, sm suckers, crappies, fatheads, crawlers they all caught fish.

[paceman]

Went over and fished Devils Lake Wed-Sat. What a neat lake. Once we found the fish we caught lots of great eaters. Footballs in the 14-17" range. Nothing big a few shorties. Limits came quick. Some guys were anchoring in the trees bobber fishing, others lindy rigging. We tried both but had better luck lindy rigging with a leech. Almost emptied my tackle box from all the snags but that is where the fish were. Pretty crappy weather but there were plenty of places to get out of the wind. I will for sure go back over there soon.......

[Double A]

Was out on Big C last night. lots of Rockies. 2 Walleye.

What a beautiful night! Little wind, full moon, nice temperature.

The water temp has dropped to about 68.

Early ice will come in mid November at this rate!

[Jim Panfish Uran]

Was out on an area lake last night with my son, going for crappies and walleyes. We were sort of just slow trolling over the tops and sides of the weeds in 10-14fow. I had an 1/8oz whistler jig and my boy had a 1/16oz Veg E Jig jig both tippeed with chubs.

We found a lot a few crappies, but not until we were into the weeds, there was nothing on the outside edge of them. Once we hit the weeds and started to make our turn.. BAM one of us would get one, most of the time it was my boy. Those little veg e jigs sure find there way through the weeds pretty well.

We even plucked some aggressive walleyes out over the tops of the weeds too, wow those things would just crush the jig, no tap tap, it was more like a BAM!!

[glenn57]

HEY LEECBAIT, have you ever fished sugarbush lake. my grandparents use to and did well with sunfish years ago. hows that lake for fishin, all species. thanks..

[Jim Panfish Uran]

It's horrible! Just kidding, I haven't fished that lake glenn, but I hope someone on here has that can help you out! There are so many lakes closer to my house that I haven't got to sugar bush yet.

Anyone have any reports for Sugarbush lake?

[glenn57]

best add that to the list. move it to the top?

[jmuff24]

well if you are talking about LITTLE Sugarbush, yes, the panfish are loaded in there, basically anywhere you fish.

[Cicada]

Did a little day trip on Tuesday. We started on White Earth. Caught two walleyes and four smallmouth. A couple of the smallies were pretty nice. We were dissappointed with WE. Not what we were used to. Talked to the gal at the resort and she said it has been tough all summer, too cool out. We then headed to Juggler. Since we got there earlier than we normally do, I told my buddy we were gong to walleye fish the lake. Ended up catching six nice walleyes, more than two dozen smallmouth, some pretty big, and some very large bluegills all in the same spot. Also threw buzzbaits for bass and picked up a bunch of largemouth and a couple of northerns.