There are a number of fantastic lakes throughout North America that maintain a healthy stock of walleye. It can be difficult to pinpoint where the best of the best reside. A better approach is to first take a look at what exactly makes a lake a qualified walleye lake candidate and in which particular state it might be located.

Qualifications

For starters, a decent walleye lake should be a minimum of 1,000 acres in size. Spawning season draws walleye in towards shallower waters.

A particular favorite spot is among the weed beds that run along the shoreline. Bottom surfaces here are likely to be gravel, rock or sand with no other particles present. Large acres lakes will present a variety of different opportunities for walleye to reach these locations for spawning season.

A walleye lake should have shallow to medium water levels. Ideal depths would max out at 35 feet in the deepest portion of the lake. Other things to look for are a healthy population of yellow perch. In addition to crayfish, yellow perch are the best food source walleye like to see on a menu.

A lake with an abundance of yellow perch will more than likely have an abundance of walleye not too far behind.

The final quality of determining whether or not a lake is walleye material is wind levels. Shallow water depths often produce windy lake settings that make for turbulent water conditions. Stirred up water conditions act as a barrier between sunlight and walleye.

It is the bright sunlight that sends walleye towards deeper water levels in search of shade. Unable to see direct sunlight in murky, darkened waters means the walleye will stay towards the top for longer periods of time.

The advantage to lakes with these criteria is of direct advantage to anglers.

Wind conditions and light settings work together to create a false sense of security for the walleye. Day fishing can be prolonged as walleye are not aware that the bright sunlight they try so hard to avoid is just a few feet away. They continue on in feeding patterns much longer than usual during the course of a day. As dusk falls, the walleye feeding patterns exhibit more activity as well.

An unofficial name for the state of Wisconsin would have to be walleye country. Virtually every body of water within the state lines contains some sort of walleye stock. This includes everything from the major lakes and rivers to the streams and creeks that run through the most rural portions of the state.

The record walleye catch came from High Lake weighing in at an even 18 pounds.

Other great Wisconsin walleye lakes include Beaver Dam Lake, Big Eau Pleine Reservoir, Castle Rock Lake, Fence Lake, Gile Flowage and Green Lake. The Beaver Dam Lake is 6,500 acres in size and sits in the south-east portion of the state.

Big Eau Pleine Reservoir is 6,800 acres in the central part of the state at Stratford. Wisconsin does not have a shortage of large sized walleye lakes. Lake Pepin in Stockholm, Wisconsin stands at a massive 25,000 acres. Lake Poygan holds its own at 14,000 acres in Winneconne, Wisconsin.

Lake Mendota is located in the south-central portion of the state in Madison and has a size of 10,000 acres. Just slightly larger than this is Lake Koshkonong in Fort Atkinson which has a size of 10,500 acres.