What is the Best Walleye Lake in Minnesota?
With over 10,000 lakes in Minnesota, answering this question is not straight forward. There are countless solid walleye lakes across the state and any of them could yield the limit. Surfing the web searching for the answer, I found a ton of different opinions. But the problem with opinions is that they are extremely biased, so how the heck was I supposed to know what the true answer was?
As a design engineer of jet engines, I enjoy data. Especially when making important decisions like, where should I fish? So instead of searching for an expert opinion, I decided to analyze the 10 largest lakes using Minnesota’s DNR latest lake survey data from the Lake Finder tool. After spending a few hours analyzing the data, I came up with a method to rank the best walleye lake in Minnesota.
Of the 10 largest lakes in Minnesota, my methodology ranks Mille Lacs as the best for walleyes. Mille Lacs stood out as having the biggest walleye per Gill Net which is why I’m ranking it the # 1 Walleye Minnesota Lake for 2024.
What is a Gill Net Survey?
Minnesota’s DNR takes fish surveys across the thousands of lakes they manage. They use Gill Nets which are approximately 250 feet long nets to capture fish. The fish are counted, weighed, measured and then thrown back. The DNR takes multiple samples across each lake which provides them data about whether the lakes are weak, healthy, or thriving fisheries. This data can also be used by anglers to determine which lake might be the perfect spot to catch the next state record!
My Methodology of Ranking the Top Walleye Lake in Minnesota
As previously stated, I analyzed Gill Net data from the top 10 largest lakes in Minnesota. If I were simply looking for the most Walleyes per Gill Net, then Upper Red would have dominated as the top walleye lake in Minnesota because it had a whopping catch rate of 44.7 per net. Mille Lacs came in a distant second registering 14.7 walleye per net!
So why do I think the data is pointing to Mille Lacs as a better walleye lake than Red? Well, of the twenty 250 foot long nets cast into Red only 5 walleye over 20 inches were caught. That’s like casting a net 16 football fields long and only catching 5 walleye over 20 inches. That’s not ideal, in fact it was the worst out of all the big lakes.
I needed to come up with a weighting metric for big fish so that I didn’t rank the best fishing lakes based on tons of baby walleye. I decided to calculate a ranking factor. The ranking factor considers average weight per standard Gill Net, total walleye measuring greater than 20 inches of any sampling method, and walleye per Gill Net. This methodology provides a metric to rank the lakes based on the size and quantity of the walleye.
Note: Using my walleye size calculator, I can estimate the weight or length of the fish I catch. Using the tool, a 20 inch walleye is about 3 pounds.
2024 Largest Minnesota Lakes Ranked for Walleye
Using this methodology, I ranked the largest Minnesota lakes in terms of walleye production. The lakes are ranked as seen in the table below.
Data compiled from MN DNR per references. Analysis completed separately.
Note: I always check MN State fishing regulations for walleye restrictions before my fishing trips and I recommend this for you too. I have not documented the fishing regulations in this blog.
Size: 128,250 acres
Max Depth: 42 feet
Minnesota’s second largest inland lake tops them all as the best walleye fishery of the big lakes. It boasted a ranking factor of 89.3! The lake is conveniently located mid-state so it is also one of the easiest lakes to access. Of the big lakes Mille Lacs is the best Walleye lake, but there are other great lakes in the Brainerd area that even top Mille Lacs.
Size: 725,583 acres
Max Depth: 210 feet
Lake of the Woods sits on the Minnesota and Canada border and is considered the “Walleye Capital of the World.” Historically the walleye catch rate has been around 16 walleye per standard Gill Net, but the last survey only yielded 12.8 walleyes per net. The average weight was also on the smaller size as well. But there are some massive walleye in this lake. Lake of the Woods was the only lake where walleye over 30 inches were surveyed. Even though the numbers are in a distant second, this lake cannot be overlooked and is perhaps the premier walleye lake in Minnesota.
Size: 25,216 acres
Max Depth: 60 feet
Lake Pepin is just southeast of the Twin Cities on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is a naturally forming lake part of the Mississippi River. The DNR has a positive near-term outlook for Lake Pepin in terms of walleye and sauger angling. The Gill Net catch rate was only 9.4 per net but the size of the fish sampled and average weight of the fish pushed Pepin to be # 3 in my rankings. While Pepin is a solid place to fish, check out my rankings for the best fishing spots near the Twin Cities for more ideas.
Size: 39,272 acres
Max Depth: 76 feet
The water of Lake Vermilion has an iron ore hue and has a strong reputation for being one of the best fisheries in Minnesota. The walleye catch rate for Vermilion was strong with fish on the smaller size, but do not be fooled there are some lunkers lurking in these waters. While Lake Vermilion is known as a walleye lake, it is also known for a premier muskie lake.
Size: 15,958 acres
Max Depth: 120 feet
Cass Lake is situated in the Leech Lake reservation. The walleye numbers are middle of the pack in every category. The lake had an average walleye catch rate with average size fish. Overall, Cass is a solid walleye lake and comes in at # 5.
6. Kabetogama Lake
Size: 24,034 acres
Max Depth: 80 feet
Located in Voyagers National Park, Kabetogama Lake offers more than just fantastic angling. Of Minnesota’s largest lakes, Kabetogama registers # 6 in terms of walleye angling. The catch rate has come down in recent years but is near the historic average. Being ranked middle of the pack seems right for Kabetogama Lake.
7. Leech Lake
Size: 103,039 acres
Max Depth: 150 feet
Leech Lake is a renown walleye fishery. I was surprised that my ranking method listed Leech Lake in the bottom half of the top 10. While the catch rate was lower than some of the other lakes, walleyes greater than 20 inches accounted for 17% of those sampled. That’s a pretty big number. Even though Leech dropped towards the bottom of this list, there are big walleye in this lake and I believe it’s worth a visit.
8. Red Lake
Upper Red Size: 119,295 acres
Max Depth: 15 feet
I only analyzed data for Upper Red. The data showed an enormous walleye catch rate but they were all very small fish. Over 3,500 walleyes were sampled and only 5 of these were over 20 inches. That is a lot of small fish! With the young walleye population growing, Upper Red may be a fantastic walleye hole in a few years. But for 2024 Red Lake is ranked # 8.
9. Rainy Lake
Size: 210,200 acres
Max Depth: 161 feet
Only 30% of Rainy Lake is inside the United States. It is part of Voyagers National Park. The lake has a below average walleye catch rate. While this is a beautiful lake, the numbers suggest that there are better options for walleye angling.
10. Lake Winnibigoshish
Size: 56,471 acres
Max Depth: 70 feet
Lake Winnibigoshish ranked # 10 because of its low walleye catch rate and the small size of fish sampled. It is part of the Mississippi head waters and has a good reputation for being a walleye fishery. Recent fish surveys show lower walleye numbers. In the coming years if the walleye population rebounds look for Lake Winnibigoshish is climb in the rankings. But for 2024, Lake Winnibigoshish comes in last since it has the lowest Gill Net catch rate and smaller sampled walleye.
An Even Better Walleye Fishing Spot
While these are awesome walleye lakes, there are even better spots in Minnesota. I analyzed data for the 10 largest lakes in Minnesota not all 10,000 lakes. There are lakes with better numbers. But equally important to finding a lake with solid walleye numbers, is finding the right place to fish on the lake. The right fishing spot on any of the top ranked lakes could yield an unforgettable walleye experience.
But my favorite area to fish for walleye is Ely, MN. If you liked this content, check out my article ranking the top 19 fishing lakes near Ely. Of these lakes, Basswood is my favorite walleye lake. Basswood has some fantastic walleye numbers and gets very little pressure since it sits in the Boundary Waters.
Happy fishing!
References
Fisheries, M. a. (2024, January 26). Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved from LakeFinder: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/index.html