Minnesota is known for its 10,000 Lakes and outstanding Walleye fishing.  There are plenty of other fishing species to target in Minnesota; like Northern Pike, Muskie, and Bass, but no other fish gets targeted more in Minnesota than Walleye. Walleye are easy to fillet and they taste great which makes them the favorite of many anglers.

Some of the Top Minnesota Walleye fishing lakes are Lake Mille Lacs, Lake Winnibigoshish(Lake Winnie), Leech Lake, Upper Red Lake, Lake of the Woods, Lake Vermilion and Rainy Lake.

Lake Mille Lacs is a huge lake with over 132,000 acres of water to fish. The lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet, but there are a number of shallow mud flats on the north end of the lake that hold lots of walleye.

Lake of the Woods is one of the most popular fishing destinations in Minnesota and the entire midwest. This lake is located on the border of Minnesota and Ontario, Canada. The lake is very big as it covers over 65,000 miles of shoreline. You will also see plenty of wildlife and pristine wilderness around the lake. The portion of this lake that is located within Minnesota is known more for its walleye and northern pike fishing, although you can also catch plenty of perch to go along with an occasional smallmouth bass. The Rainy River is also nearby and the fishing can be incredible during the spring for spawning walleye. The Rainy River connects Lake of the Woods to Rainy Lake. If you can plan a trip to Lake of the Woods in the spring, spend a couple of days in the river and you will have some excellent fishing opportunities.

Rainy Lake is located in the northern part of Minnesota and there are plenty of walleye to catch in this lake. There are lots of walleye with tons of scenery to give you the ultimate Minnesota fishing experience. Crankbaits that resemble perch do very well on Rainy Lake. This lake is also very popular for houseboating in the summer time.

Leech Lake is a very popular lake for MN fishing vacations. There are plenty of weed lines to go along with some flats, and deep water humps that will hold walleye. It is very common to catch big perch and northern pike in the same spots that you will be catching your walleye on this lake.

Lake Winnibigoshish, also called Lake Winnie, is an excellent walleye lake. This is another big lake, but there are plenty of walleye and a very good northern pike fishery. There are a lot of pike in the 20 to 29 inch range with 30 to 35 inch fish being common.

Minnesota Fishing Report

Leech Lake MN Fishing

Leech Lake continues to produce excellent numbers of walleye, largemouth bass, and muskie. Largemouth bass have kept anglers very busy! Muskie fishing has been great on the east side of Leech Lake at areas such as Portage Bay, Five Mile Point, Sugar Point, and Bear and Pelican islands. Fishing was also good at the south end shoreline from Partridge Point to Northland Reef. Walleye and perch anglers continue to have success on the west side of Leech Lake at Star Point, the Goose Island Flats, and Second Duck Point, especially when there is a north or south wind. The best presentation this past week has been a jig tipped with a shiner minnow. Chartreuse and John Deer green have been the best colors.

Lake Mille Lacs MN Fishing

Walleye continue to bite, despite cool water temperatures that have finally reached the 60-degree mark. During evening hours, walleye anglers are doing well when trolling crankbaits or slip-float fishing at the shallow rocks. Daytime action has been best in the deeper water on cloudy days. The mud and gravel areas are producing the majority of fish. Look for schools of baitfish or groups of bugs and you will likely find walleye nearby. Muskie remain sluggish due to the cool water temperatures, and no reports are available. Once the water turns warmer, expect the bite to really take off for all species of fish.

Lake Minnetonka MN Fishing

The bigger bays on Lake Minnetonka are producing walleyes at night from the shorelines out to the 12-foot weeds. During the day, work the deeper weedlines with leeches or shiner minnows. Expect quite a few small pike to be mixed with the walleyes. The best crappie reports off Minnetonka are coming from the 10- to 12-foot milfoil and sunfish remain active in six feet.

Rainy Lake MN Fishing

Rainy Lake walleye have started to gather on the submerged reefs. Charts and electronics have been helpful to locate humps in depths of 15-30 feet of water. For the most fish, try trolling these areas using a spinner rig and minnow, or try anchoring and jigging. There are good reports coming from Cranberry and Lost bays, from the west side of Brule Narrows, and from the area around Big Island and Saginaw Bay on the east. Crappies remain very active. Smallmouth bass are hitting lures at the rocky shorelines.

Lake Superior MN Fishing

The south shore of Lake Superior continues to produce lots of lake trout, good numbers of salmon, and a few large walleye.

Cass Lake MN Fishing

On Cass Lake, fishing continues to improve. Walleyes are coming from 12-20 feet on water at Turtle Bar on jig and shiner combinations. Pike Hole has also been good for walleye. Leeches and nightcrawlers will begin to produce fish as water temperatures rise. Crappie fishing has been exceptional. Pike Bay Lake continues to give up large walleye, and the north end has been productive since the opener. For the most fish, find the weedline and fish depths of 12-13 feet. Just like Cass Lake, Pike Bay has lots of structure and offers a variety of ways to catch walleye. This lake is also good for large 50-plus inch muskie.

Crane Lake MN Fishing

Walleye are ending their post-spawn phase. The smaller walleye are plentiful and can be found in 25-30 feet of water. The larger fish remain in the shallows, roughly 8-12 feet deep. The best approach is to jig at the weedlines and windblown rocky shorelines using a minnow. It is still a little cool to use leeches. Crappie anglers are doing extremely well in depths of 14-22 feet of water. Browns Bay on Sandpoint Lake has been a hot spot for crappies. Smallmouth bass fishing has been exceptional - try casting and retrieving off the shoreline at the wood. These bass are not yet up on their beds, with the males roaming nearby.

Lake Kabetogama MN Fishing

Some anglers report taking too many larger fish, and not enough of the smaller, keeper-size fish. The smaller fish have yet to settle in at a predictable level. For the most success with the eating-size walleye try depths of 18-35 feet using a jig and minnow combination. Leeches, however, are beginning to also turn fish. On the west end of Lake Kabetogama, good numbers of large walleye continue to be pulled from less than 8 feet of water. Anglers report that the best basic structure is now the reef edges and drop-offs from the sand bars and shoreline points. Northern pike remain elusive, with only a few fish in the 30- to 40-inch range being reported. Action should heat up soon once the water temperature rises. Crappie action has been inconsistent. The best approach is to hit the shallows at the shorelines on bright, sunny days. An occasional smallmouth bass can be found at the rip-rap shorelines, especially on warmer days.

Lake Miltona MN Fishing

Fishing on Lake Miltona has been great, with most anglers having success in 12-14 feet of water when using a lindy rig or jig. Crankbaits are working well after dark. The most productive colors have been orange and charteruse. While shiner minnows remain the preferred bait, some anglers are doing well using crawlers and leeches. Crappies have moved out of the shallows and can be found in depths of 9-12 feet at the cabbage and coontail weeds when using white twister tails.

Lake Pepin MN Fishing

The walleye/sauger bite on Lake Pepin has been exceptional, with lots of nice-sized fish being taken throughout the lake. Fishing has been so good that 50- to 80-fish days are the norm! A variety of techniques are working well, especially when the fish are this aggressive.

Upper Red Lake MN Fishing

Walleyes are very active at the mouth of, or in the heart of, the Tamarack River in six to 10 feet. The south shore of the lake also is giving up walleyes in six to eight feet with jigs and minnows or slip bobber rigs working best in all areas. Limits of crappies have been pulled from the "ditches" on the north shore and you can expect to find several big northern pike mixed with the walleyes.

Lake Vermilion MN Fishing

On Lake Vermilion, walleye anglers report lots of hungry fish, with most of the forage being last year’s leftovers. Leeches are now producing more than minnows, roughly 3:1. For the most fish, use a lindy rig with a bead in 22-28 feet of water near shore. During evening hours, these fish are moving shallow and will hit nearly any live bait or crankbait - perch-tone, silver and gold colors have been best. Lots of smaller walleye have started to show up on the west end of the lake. Crappie anglers are taking fish on sunny days when spending the time necessary to locate them. Bass are scattered due to the cold lake temperatures. While some anglers have done well with the largemouth in Wolf Bay, the smallies remain tough to find.

Lake Waconia MN Fishing

The walleye bite has been sporadic at best, but a jig and minnow is turning some fish in six to eight feet off Pillsbury and Anderson's reefs. Sunfish and crappies can be had in five to 14 feet between the marinas and on Anderson's Reef.

White Bear Lake MN Fishing

The water level is low on White Bear Lake, so anglers are advised to use caution in shallower waters. The crappie bite has been fairly good. Most fish have been biting in 3-10 feet of water, especially after the sun has warmed the water for a couple of hours. The best hours for fishing have been 1 p.m. until 7 p.m. Try a minnow or waxworm on a white shrimpo jig for the most success. A pink jig is also working well.

Lake Winnie MN Fishing

On Lake Winnibigoshish, fishing has been good at the Tamarack Flats and on up to the north shore depending on the wind direction. These fish are coming from depths of 10-13 feet. Sand Lake walleye can be found in depths of 9-16 feet when using jig and minnow combinations.

Lake of the Woods MN Fishing

The walleye bite remains strong on Lake of the Woods. Anglers are taking good numbers of walleye and sauger when anchored and jigging in 17-28 feet of water around the Lighthouse Gap and Morris Point Gap. Frozen shiners and leeches are both working well, with gold jigs producing best. Some success is being reported by anglers drifting with spinners, but this is dependant on the wind. Several huge northern pike were recently taken out of Bostic and Zippel bays. While the bite in the Rainy River remains a bit slow for the larger walleyes, the smaller fish can still be found. The Northwest Angle and Islands area has been very productive. The hot spots remain around Oak and Flag islands, with limits being taken when jigging in depths of 19-24 feet of water.

Minnesota Walleye Fishing Tips

1. When fishing Minnesota Lakes during the summer for walleyes there are generally two bites going on, a shallow water bite, and a deep water bite. If the shallows don't produce, trying fishing the deep water bite. Try primary and secondary points that head out into deep water, humps, underwater islands, rock bars and drop-offs.

2. Walleyes in shallower water will most often relate to weeds. These weeds both reduce the intensity of the sun light and offer the walleye cover to ambush minnows from. To fish the edge of a weed-line simply position your boat parallel to the break and cast your lure so it runs right next to the weed-line. To fish weeds that lie several feet below the surface, simple cast or troll shallow-running crankbaits or spoons right over top.

3. When fishing crankbaits for walleyes be sure to experiment with the type of action, size, and color of the lure. Crankbaits with a narrow lip will have a more subtle action versus crankbaits with a wider lip.  Natural colors are best in clear water with Fire Tiger being a good choice for stained water.

4. Trolling speed is very important when fishing walleyes. In colder waters a very slow speed is often the most effective, while faster speeds can trigger more active fish during the summer months. In either case be sure to note and repeat your trolling speed when catching a fish.

5. A good fishing rod for jigging and casting for walleyes should be a medium to medium-heavy 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 feet long that is medium to fast action. You want some flexibility in the tip, but to much flexibility will reduce the anglers amount of feel.

6. Match your choice of live bait to the season. Minnows are most effective during the winter, spring, and fall. In the summer time it's hard to beat night crawlers and leeches. Leopard frogs can also be effective in the fall.

Also Visit

Wisconsin Fishing

Canada Fishing

Florida Fishing

Michigan Fishing

California Fishing

Texas Fishing

North Carolina Fishing

New York Fishing

Ontario Fishing

Florida Bass Fishing

Minnesota Rentals

Links  2  3  4

Minnesota Fishing Online Site Map