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FishGrade
Map

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. Siseebakwet leads at 100. Across all 284 qualifying lakes the median score is 70.

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

    Itasca County · 1,210 acres

    Excellent · 100

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

  2. 2. Reno

    Pope County · 3,809 acres

    Excellent · 99

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

  3. 3. Blackduck

    Beltrami County · 2,711 acres

    Excellent · 99

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

  4. 4. Portage

    Cass County · 1,539 acres

    Excellent · 99

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

  5. 5. Prairie

    Otter Tail County · 1,004 acres

    Excellent · 98

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

  6. 6. Big Cormorant

    Becker County · 3,657 acres

    Excellent · 97

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

  7. 7. Strawberry

    Becker County · 1,498 acres

    Excellent · 97

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

  8. 8. Island

    Becker County · 1,179 acres

    Excellent · 97

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

  9. 9. Plantagenet

    Hubbard County · 2,531 acres

    Excellent · 95

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

  10. 10. Mary

    Douglas County · 2,450 acres

    Excellent · 95

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

  11. 11. Gull

    Beltrami County · 2,256 acres

    Excellent · 95

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

  12. 12. Upper Red Lake

    Beltrami County · 119,294 acres

    Excellent · 94

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

  13. 13. Forest

    Washington County · 2,271 acres

    Excellent · 94

    7.9 per gill net · 88% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  14. 14. Madison

    Blue Earth County · 1,447 acres

    Excellent · 93

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

  15. 15. Little Winnibigoshish

    Itasca County · 1,002 acres

    Excellent · 92

    12.5 per gill net · 52% keeper-size · surveyed 2017

Underrated walleye lakes under 1,000 acres

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

  1. 1. Anna

    Otter Tail County · 598 acres

    Excellent · 100

    10.2 per gill net · 51% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  2. 2. First Silver

    Otter Tail County · 529 acres

    Excellent · 100

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

  3. 3. Norway

    Otter Tail County · 485 acres

    Excellent · 100

    5.0 per gill net · 99% keeper-size · surveyed 1988

  4. 4. Oliver (east portion)

    Swift County · 467 acres

    Excellent · 100

    23.0 per gill net · 56% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  5. 5. Round

    Itasca County · 460 acres

    Excellent · 100

    6.3 per gill net · 72% keeper-size · surveyed 2022

  6. 6. Clear

    Otter Tail County · 399 acres

    Excellent · 100

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

  7. 7. Sarah

    Polk County · 366 acres

    Excellent · 100

    15.5 per gill net · 58% keeper-size · surveyed 2021

  8. 8. East Twin

    Lyon County · 356 acres

    Excellent · 100

    12.7 per gill net · 81% keeper-size · surveyed 2024

  9. 9. Winona

    Winona County · 308 acres

    Excellent · 100

    7.5 per gill net · 97% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  10. 10. Portage (main bay)

    Otter Tail County · 269 acres

    Excellent · 100

    14.0 per gill net · 100% keeper-size · surveyed 2022

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best walleye lake in Minnesota?

Siseebakwet in Itasca County is the top-rated walleye lake in Minnesota on FishGrade, scoring 100 out of 100 based on Minnesota DNR survey data. The latest DNR survey measured 29.8 walleye per gill net, with 43% of catchable fish at keeper size. Among smaller waters, Anna in Otter Tail County (598 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 2017 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, Beltrami County, and Itasca County lead this list, holding 8 of the top 15 walleye lakes in Minnesota between them.