Walleye Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

Game FishFound in 840 lakes

Walleye is a primary Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan sport-fishing target. 840 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 699 lakes in Wisconsin, 97 in North Dakota, and 44 in Michigan carrying a documented record, Walleye is one of the more accessible targets in the dataset.

Game-fish presence on a Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan 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.

840

Total Lakes

Avg. Grade

44 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Walleye Lakes

670

32%

523

25%

423

20%

307

15%

171

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	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	97 ft	18
3	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	84 ft	13
4	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	A	42 ft	13
5	Round Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	5
6	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	MN	A	51 ft	12
7	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	14
8	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	15
9	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	87 ft	11
10	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	61 ft	16
11	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	12
12	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
13	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	34 ft	9
14	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	18
15	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	15
16	Clear Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	24 ft	14
17	Clear Lake	Itasca	MN	A	30 ft	9
18	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	10
19	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	55 ft	15
20	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	81 ft	17
21	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	106 ft	19
22	Star Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	83 ft	12
23	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	94 ft	17
24	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	MN	A	76 ft	15
25	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	69 ft	17
26	Birch Lake	Unknown	MN	A	34 ft	10
27	Girl Lake	Cass	MN	A	81 ft	18
28	Little Toad Lake	Becker	MN	A	65 ft	15
29	Bass Lake	Cass	MN	A	55 ft	12
30	Crooked Lake	Stearns	MN	A	35 ft	10
31	Crooked Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	54 ft	16
32	Cedar Lake	Morrison	MN	A	88 ft	14
33	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
34	Lower Bottle Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	110 ft	13
35	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	78 ft	15
36	Strawberry Lake	Becker	MN	A	40 ft	16
37	Alexander Lake	Morrison	MN	A	64 ft	19
38	Mcavity Lake	Itasca	MN	A	29 ft	9
39	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	22
40	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	MN	A	105 ft	9
41	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	100 ft	21
42	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	108 ft	16
43	Pike Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	7
44	Pike Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	60 ft	9
45	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	95 ft	17
46	Maple Lake	Itasca	MN	A	39 ft	13
47	Shallow Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
48	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	135 ft	15
49	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	157 ft	9
50	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	MN	A	52 ft	19

Showing top 50 of 2,094 lakes with walleye.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have walleye?

Walleye are found in 840 graded lakes: 699 in Wisconsin, 97 in North Dakota, 44 in Michigan. 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, North Long Lake, Bad Medicine Lake, Big Sugar Bush Lake, Round 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.

Other Fish Species in Walleye Lakes

Northern pike Lakes

Found together in 1,210 lakes · 99 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 1,201 lakes · 113 total

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 1,163 lakes · 240 total

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 1,143 lakes · 41 total

Largemouth bass Lakes

Found together in 1,072 lakes · 172 total

Pumpkinseed Lakes

Found together in 1,007 lakes · 145 total

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.