Best Walleye Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

Top 50 walleye lakes ranked by water quality grade. Walleye thrive in lakes with moderate to good clarity, adequate oxygen levels, and healthy forage bases. Lakes with better water quality tend to produce healthier walleye populations. Fish-species data currently covers Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

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

Why Water Quality Matters for Walleye

Walleye prefer lakes with moderate water clarity, clear enough for adequate dissolved oxygen but not so clear that they lose their low-light hunting advantage. Walleye are sensitive to high phosphorus and algae levels, which deplete oxygen in deeper water where walleye seek cool temperatures in summer.

Lakes graded A or B tend to maintain the oxygen levels and water temperatures that walleye need year-round. Lakes graded D or F often experience summer oxygen depletion in deeper water, stressing or killing walleye.

Cleanest Lakes →Worst Water Quality →Clearest Water →Improving →Declining →

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