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FishGrade

Best Walleye Lakes in Minnesota

Ranked by Minnesota DNR survey data · 2,297 lakes scored

Top walleye lakes

2,297 Minnesota lakes have enough DNR survey data to earn a FishGrade score for walleye; 284 of them are at least 1,000 acres. The top 15 are ranked below by FishGrade's 0–100 score: abundance against the DNR normal range for similar lakes, plus size structure. Blackduck leads at 99. Across all 284 qualifying lakes the median score is 67.

See all 2,297 walleye lakes on the map
  1. 1. Blackduck

    Beltrami County · 2,711 acres

    Excellent · 99

    14.3 per gill net · 100% keeper-size · surveyed 2024

  2. 2. Portage

    Cass County · 1,539 acres

    Excellent · 99

    14.0 per gill net · 71% keeper-size · surveyed 2021

  3. 3. Big Cormorant

    Becker County · 3,657 acres

    Excellent · 97

    14.4 per gill net · 65% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  4. 4. Strawberry

    Becker County · 1,498 acres

    Excellent · 97

    12.1 per gill net · 85% keeper-size · surveyed 2022

  5. 5. Island

    Becker County · 1,179 acres

    Excellent · 97

    17.1 per gill net · 62% keeper-size · surveyed 2023

  6. 6. Gull

    Beltrami County · 2,256 acres

    Excellent · 95

    4.5 per gill net · 64% keeper-size · surveyed 2020

  7. 7. Upper Red Lake

    Beltrami County · 119,294 acres

    Excellent · 94

    50.9 per gill net · 42% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  8. 8. Reno

    Pope County · 3,809 acres

    Excellent · 94

    18.4 per gill net · 51% keeper-size · surveyed 2024

  9. 9. Siseebakwet

    Itasca County · 1,210 acres

    Excellent · 94

    29.8 per gill net · 43% keeper-size · surveyed 2024

  10. 10. Madison

    Blue Earth County · 1,447 acres

    Excellent · 93

    7.8 per gill net · 99% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  11. 11. Prairie

    Otter Tail County · 1,004 acres

    Excellent · 93

    6.8 per gill net · 68% keeper-size · surveyed 2019

  12. 12. Basswood

    Lake County · 25,953 acres

    Excellent · 90

    15.4 per gill net · 61% keeper-size · surveyed 2022

  13. 13. Plantagenet

    Hubbard County · 2,531 acres

    Excellent · 90

    16.1 per gill net · 44% keeper-size · surveyed 2022

  14. 14. Mary

    Douglas County · 2,450 acres

    Excellent · 90

    12.9 per gill net · 57% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  15. 15. Pine

    Cook County · 2,122 acres

    Excellent · 90

    18.6 per gill net · 49% keeper-size · surveyed 1988

Underrated walleye lakes under 1,000 acres

Smaller waters (100–999 acres) with standout survey numbers and lighter fishing pressure.

  1. 1. Tilde

    Clay County · 248 acres

    Excellent · 100

    60.5 per gill net · 81% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  2. 2. Sleepy Eye

    Brown County · 241 acres

    Excellent · 100

    15.2 per gill net · 98% keeper-size · surveyed 2021

  3. 3. Clear

    Sibley County · 505 acres

    Excellent · 99

    109.5 per gill net · 75% keeper-size · surveyed 1988

  4. 4. Clear

    Otter Tail County · 399 acres

    Excellent · 99

    9.0 per gill net · 88% keeper-size · surveyed 2023

  5. 5. Granite

    Cook County · 306 acres

    Excellent · 99

    13.0 per gill net · surveyed 1978

  6. 6. Marshall

    Becker County · 191 acres

    Excellent · 99

    5.2 per gill net · 84% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  7. 7. Munson

    Becker County · 134 acres

    Excellent · 99

    11.7 per gill net · 46% keeper-size · surveyed 2022

  8. 8. Carol

    Lake County · 105 acres

    Excellent · 99

    11.3 per gill net · surveyed 1979

  9. 9. North Center Lake

    Chisago County · 749 acres

    Excellent · 98

    5.0 per gill net · 100% keeper-size · surveyed 2021

  10. 10. Big Sand

    Cass County · 731 acres

    Excellent · 98

    4.8 per gill net · 100% keeper-size · surveyed 2020

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best walleye lake in Minnesota?

Blackduck in Beltrami County is the top-rated walleye lake in Minnesota on FishGrade, scoring 99 out of 100 based on Minnesota DNR survey data. The latest DNR survey measured 14.3 walleye per gill net, with 100% of catchable fish at keeper size. Among smaller waters, Tilde in Clay County (248 acres) tops the under-1,000-acre list with a score of 100.

How are these rankings calculated?

Each lake's 0-100 FishGrade score blends two signals from Minnesota DNR surveys: abundance, which compares the lake's catch rate to the DNR normal range for similar lakes using the survey gear that best samples walleye, and size, the share of sampled fish reaching keeper size. To keep the list meaningful, the main rankings cover named lakes of at least 1,000 acres, and standout smaller lakes of 100+ acres are listed separately.

How current is this data?

Every ranking uses the most recent Minnesota DNR survey for each lake: survey dates for the ranked lakes run from 1988 to 2025, and 14 of 15 were surveyed within the last 7 years. The DNR resurveys most lakes on a 5-to-10-year cycle, and these rankings update as new surveys are published.

Which counties have the best walleye fishing?

Becker County and Beltrami County lead this list, holding 6 of the top 15 walleye lakes in Minnesota between them.