Walleye Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Game FishFound in 722 lakes

Walleye is a primary Minnesota and Wisconsin sport-fishing target. 722 lakes have an official record of the species — the actual population almost certainly extends further, since not every lake gets a full DNR fishery survey every year. With 0 Minnesota lakes and 722 in Wisconsin documenting Walleye, the species is one of the more accessible targets in the dataset.

Game-fish presence on a Minnesota and Wisconsin lake also signals enough water-quality stability to support the prey species the game fish depend on — perch, alewife, ciscoes — which themselves require reasonably oxygenated, clear water. On the LakeGrade rubric, the cleanest Walleye lakes tend to also be the highest-graded — the same water-clarity and nutrient conditions that support the species also produce the higher grades.

722

Total Lakes

Minnesota

722

Wisconsin

Avg. Grade

46 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Walleye Lakes

898

47%

394

21%

299

16%

208

11%

110

Best Walleye Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with walleye ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	65 ft	15
2	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	MN	A	105 ft	9
3	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	100 ft	21
4	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	108 ft	16
5	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	84 ft	13
6	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	A	42 ft	13
7	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
8	Birch Lake	Unknown	MN	A	34 ft	10
9	Round Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	59 ft	15
10	Round Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	5
11	Pike Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	7
12	Pike Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	60 ft	9
13	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	138 ft	23
14	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	MN	A	51 ft	12
15	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	15
16	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	14
17	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	87 ft	11
18	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	61 ft	16
19	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	12
20	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
21	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	34 ft	9
22	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	95 ft	17
23	Maple Lake	Itasca	MN	A	39 ft	13
24	Shallow Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
25	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	135 ft	15
26	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	157 ft	9
27	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	MN	A	95 ft	19
28	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	MN	A	52 ft	19
29	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	18
30	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	15
31	Clear Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	24 ft	14
32	Clear Lake	Itasca	MN	A	30 ft	9
33	Blue Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	84 ft	13
34	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	10
35	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	55 ft	15
36	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	81 ft	17
37	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	106 ft	19
38	Star Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	83 ft	12
39	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	94 ft	17
40	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	MN	A	76 ft	15
41	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	69 ft	17
42	Sand Lake	Cass	MN	A	54 ft	12
43	Roger Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	64 ft	12
44	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	60 ft	21
45	Girl Lake	Cass	MN	A	81 ft	18
46	Little Toad Lake	Becker	MN	A	65 ft	15
47	Big Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	15
48	Bass Lake	Cass	MN	A	55 ft	12
49	Island Lake	Cass	MN	A	45 ft	12
50	Island Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	76 ft	19

Showing top 50 of 1,909 lakes with walleye.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have walleye?

Walleye are found in 722 lakes across Minnesota and Wisconsin, 0 in Minnesota and 722 in Wisconsin. The average water quality grade of lakes with walleye is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for walleye?

The best walleye lakes by water quality are East Fox Lake, Deep Portage Lake, Lower Hay Lake, Latoka Lake, Bad Medicine Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where walleye have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with walleye?

Walleye are most commonly found alongside walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, bluegill, black crappie. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.