Walleye Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 1,187 Minnesota lakes · 722 in Wisconsin

Walleye is one of the headline game-fish species in Minnesota — the kind of catch that anchors fishing trips, cabin weekends, and the regional fishing economy. 722 lakes in our dataset have documented Walleye. Walleye is widely distributed: 0 lakes in Minnesota and 722 in Wisconsin. That breadth means anglers in most counties of either state can find a documented Walleye lake within a reasonable drive.

Game-fish presence on a Minnesota 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.

1,187

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

388

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Walleye Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.1 ft	65 ft
2	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	A	15.4 ft	105 ft
3	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	100 ft
4	Latoka Lake	Douglas	A	19 ft	108 ft
5	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	A	25 ft	84 ft
6	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	A	17 ft	42 ft
7	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.1 ft	55 ft
8	Birch Lake	Unknown	A	15 ft	34 ft
9	Round Lake	Aitkin	A	15.3 ft	59 ft
10	Round Lake	Cook	A	16.5 ft	45 ft
11	Pike Lake	Cook	A	17.8 ft	45 ft
12	Pike Lake	St. Louis	A	18 ft	60 ft
13	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.1 ft	138 ft
14	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	51 ft
15	Long Lake	Clearwater	A	20 ft	80 ft
16	Long Lake	Cass	A	21.8 ft	115 ft
17	Long Lake	Beltrami	A	20 ft	87 ft
18	Long Lake	Becker	A	20 ft	61 ft
19	Long Lake	Cass	A	16.8 ft	37 ft
20	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.9 ft	85 ft
21	Dead Lake	Hubbard	A	16 ft	34 ft
22	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
23	Maple Lake	Itasca	A	15.3 ft	39 ft
24	Shallow Lake	Itasca	A	16.4 ft	85 ft
25	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	15.5 ft	135 ft
26	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	18 ft	157 ft
27	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
28	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	A	17 ft	52 ft
29	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	A	20 ft	63 ft
30	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	A	18 ft	63 ft
31	Clear Lake	Aitkin	A	16 ft	24 ft
32	Clear Lake	Itasca	A	14.9 ft	30 ft
33	Blue Lake	Hubbard	A	17.4 ft	84 ft
34	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	A	22.6 ft	46 ft
35	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	55 ft
36	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	81 ft
37	Ida Lake	Douglas	A	16.5 ft	106 ft
38	Star Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	83 ft
39	Star Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.7 ft	94 ft
40	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	A	18 ft	76 ft
41	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	A	17.8 ft	69 ft
42	Sand Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	54 ft
43	Roger Lake	Crow Wing	A	16 ft	64 ft
44	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	A	15.5 ft	60 ft
45	Girl Lake	Cass	A	17 ft	81 ft
46	Little Toad Lake	Becker	A	15 ft	65 ft
47	Big Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.4 ft	46 ft
48	Bass Lake	Cass	A	-	55 ft
49	Island Lake	Cass	A	15 ft	45 ft
50	Island Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.3 ft	76 ft

Showing top 50 of 1,187 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have walleye?

Walleye are found in 1,187 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is C (Fair).

What are the best walleye lakes in Minnesota?

The best walleye lakes in Minnesota by water quality are East Fox Lake, Deep Portage Lake, Lower Hay Lake, Latoka Lake, Bad Medicine Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.