Walleye Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 1,254 Minnesota lakes · 699 in Wisconsin · 97 in North Dakota · 44 in Michigan

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. 840 lakes in our dataset have documented Walleye. Walleye is widely distributed: 699 lakes in Wisconsin, 97 in North Dakota, and 44 in Michigan. That breadth means anglers across most of the coverage area 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.

1,254

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	16.4 ft	65 ft
2	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.1 ft	97 ft
3	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	A	25 ft	84 ft
4	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	A	16.5 ft	42 ft
5	Round Lake	Cook	A	16.5 ft	45 ft
6	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	51 ft
7	Long Lake	Cass	A	21.5 ft	115 ft
8	Long Lake	Clearwater	A	20.5 ft	80 ft
9	Long Lake	Beltrami	A	20 ft	87 ft
10	Long Lake	Becker	A	19.3 ft	61 ft
11	Long Lake	Cass	A	17 ft	37 ft
12	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.9 ft	85 ft
13	Dead Lake	Hubbard	A	16 ft	34 ft
14	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	A	20 ft	63 ft
15	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	A	18 ft	63 ft
16	Clear Lake	Aitkin	A	15 ft	24 ft
17	Clear Lake	Itasca	A	14.9 ft	30 ft
18	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	A	22.6 ft	46 ft
19	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	55 ft
20	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	81 ft
21	Ida Lake	Douglas	A	16.4 ft	106 ft
22	Star Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	83 ft
23	Star Lake	Otter Tail	A	17 ft	94 ft
24	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	A	17.2 ft	76 ft
25	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	A	18 ft	69 ft
26	Birch Lake	Unknown	A	15 ft	34 ft
27	Girl Lake	Cass	A	17.6 ft	81 ft
28	Little Toad Lake	Becker	A	15 ft	65 ft
29	Bass Lake	Cass	A	-	55 ft
30	Crooked Lake	Stearns	A	15.5 ft	35 ft
31	Crooked Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	54 ft
32	Cedar Lake	Morrison	A	16.2 ft	88 ft
33	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.4 ft	55 ft
34	Lower Bottle Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	110 ft
35	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	A	17 ft	78 ft
36	Strawberry Lake	Becker	A	17.5 ft	40 ft
37	Alexander Lake	Morrison	A	16.5 ft	64 ft
38	Mcavity Lake	Itasca	A	17.3 ft	29 ft
39	Gull Lake	Cass	A	15 ft	80 ft
40	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	A	15.4 ft	105 ft
41	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	A	18.5 ft	100 ft
42	Latoka Lake	Douglas	A	19 ft	108 ft
43	Pike Lake	Cook	A	17.4 ft	45 ft
44	Pike Lake	St. Louis	A	18 ft	60 ft
45	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
46	Maple Lake	Itasca	A	15.3 ft	39 ft
47	Shallow Lake	Itasca	A	16.4 ft	85 ft
48	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	16 ft	135 ft
49	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	18 ft	157 ft
50	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	A	17.1 ft	52 ft

Showing top 50 of 1,254 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have walleye?

Walleye are found in 1,254 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, North Long Lake, Bad Medicine Lake, Big Sugar Bush Lake, Round Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.