Walleye Fishing Guide: 1,884 Lakes by Water Quality

The Upper Midwest’s marquee game fish, prized for its firm white fillets and low-light bite. Walleye are schooling predators with light-sensitive eyes that give them an edge in stained or choppy water.

Walleye is a primary the United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs. LakeQuality covers sport-fishing target. 1,884 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 1,201 lakes in Minnesota, 645 in Wisconsin, and 38 in Michigan carrying a documented record, Walleye is one of the more accessible targets in the dataset.

Game-fish presence on a the United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs. LakeQuality covers 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. The Walleye lakes with the lowest nutrient and algae readings tend to be the ones where the species does best, since the same water-clarity and nutrient conditions support both.

Where they live

Rock and gravel bars, points, and mid-lake structure in cool, mid-depth water; they slide shallow at dawn, dusk, and after dark to feed.

Water quality they need

Walleye tolerate more color and nutrients than trout; they actually feed better in slightly stained, wind-riled water. You’ll find them across a wide range of clarity and nutrient readings, but the healthiest fisheries sit in clear-to-moderate mesotrophic lakes with good oxygen at depth.

When to catch them

Best in spring right after ice-out near spawning rock, and again in fall as water cools; low-light and night bites are strongest all summer.

Walleye Seasonal Forecast & Techniques

Part of the LakeQuality Fishing Forecast. Spawn trigger: Spawns just after ice-out at 42–50°F over rock, gravel, and windswept shoreline. Forage: Yellow perch, shiners, and other soft-rayed baitfish. For a forecast tuned to a specific lake's measured clarity and depth, open that lake's forecast.

Season	Where they hold	Structure & cover	Technique
Spring	shallow 3–10 ft	rock/gravel bars, warming shoreline, river mouths	jig-and-minnow, slow-rolled swimbaits
Summer	mid-depth 12–25 ft	main-lake points, mid-lake humps, weed edges	live-bait rigs, bottom bouncers/crawler harnesses
Fall	variable 8–30 ft	steep breaks and points as they feed up	jigging bigger minnows, trolling deep cranks
Winter / Ice	8–25 ft	first breaks off structure, dusk feeding windows	jigging spoons and rattle baits, deadstick minnows

Clear-water tactics:finesse jig-and-minnowlong leaders / lighter linefish dawn, dusk & after darkStained-water tactics:bladed/rattling baits for vibrationbrighter jigs & crankbaitswork the windblown "walleye chop"

1,884

Total Lakes

42 ft

Avg. Depth

Best Walleye Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with walleye, ranked on nutrient and algae readings.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Depth	Species
1	Lobster Lake	Douglas	MN	65 ft	18
2	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	65 ft	15
3	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	MN	105 ft	9
4	Clearwater Lake	Wright	MN	73 ft	17
5	Clearwater Lake	Crow Wing	MN	54 ft	16
6	Clearwater Lake	Clearwater	MN	65 ft	14
7	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	100 ft	21
8	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	108 ft	16
9	Little Birch Lake	Todd	MN	89 ft	20
10	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	MN	97 ft	18
11	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	84 ft	13
12	Mud Lake	Becker	MN	34 ft	16
13	Big Lake	Beltrami	MN	35 ft	17
14	Big Lake	Sherburne	MN	48 ft	14
15	Big Lake	St. Louis	MN	22 ft	8
16	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	42 ft	13
17	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	55 ft	20
18	Pelican Lake	Crow Wing	MN	104 ft	17
19	Birch Lake	Cass	MN	45 ft	14
20	Round Lake	Aitkin	MN	125 ft	18
21	Round Lake	Crow Wing	MN	51 ft	20
22	Round Lake	Cook	MN	45 ft	5
23	Round Lake	Becker	MN	69 ft	18
24	Ada Lake	Cass	MN	60 ft	16
25	Pike Lake	Cook	MN	45 ft	7
26	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	MN	138 ft	23
27	Whitefish Lake	Beltrami	MN	30 ft	12
28	Horseshoe Lake	Crow Wing	MN	56 ft	11
29	Farm Lake	Lake	MN	56 ft	12
30	Washburn Lake	Cass	MN	111 ft	21
31	Long Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	46 ft	15
32	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	80 ft	15
33	Long Lake	Cass	MN	115 ft	14
34	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	87 ft	11
35	Long Lake	Otter Tail	MN	128 ft	16
36	Long Lake	Becker	MN	61 ft	16
37	Long Lake	Hubbard	MN	135 ft	14
38	Long Lake	Otter Tail	MN	73 ft	17
39	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	85 ft	12
40	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	34 ft	9
41	Dead Lake	Otter Tail	MN	65 ft	18
42	Unnamed Lake	Nicollet	MN	35 ft	6
43	Maple Lake	Douglas	MN	78 ft	17
44	Maple Lake	Itasca	MN	39 ft	13
45	West Twin Lake	Cook	MN	37 ft	2
46	Shallow Lake	Itasca	MN	85 ft	12
47	Shallow Lake	Hubbard	MN	10 ft	13
48	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	157 ft	9
49	Detroit Lake	Becker	MN	89 ft	19
50	South Sturgeon Lake	St. Louis	MN	43 ft	10

Showing top 50 of 1,884 lakes with walleye.

Frequently Asked Questions

What water quality do walleye need?

How many lakes have walleye?

Walleye are documented in 1,884 lakes: 1,201 in Minnesota, 645 in Wisconsin, 38 in Michigan.

What are the best lakes for walleye?

The best walleye lakes by water quality are Lobster Lake, East Fox Lake, Deep Portage Lake, Clearwater Lake, Clearwater Lake. These lakes carry the lowest nutrient and algae readings 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.

Other Fish Species in Walleye Lakes

Northern Pike Lakes

Found together in 1,157 lakes · 2,386 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 1,148 lakes · 1,577 total

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 1,118 lakes · 1,550 total

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 1,090 lakes · 1,386 total

Largemouth Bass Lakes

Found together in 1,028 lakes · 2,489 total

Pumpkinseed Lakes

Found together in 961 lakes · 1,328 total

Fish species from state agency survey, stocking, and public fishing-access records; water-quality readings from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys. Species profiles are general reference; always check current state regulations before fishing.