By Jason Mitchell
There is so much great walleye fishing across the upper Midwest, and we have been fortunate to see and experience some of the best. After traveling all over the United States and Canada, producing outdoor television for the last twenty years, a question we often receive from our viewers are questions about some of these top destinations. Assuming you are traveling and treating this trip like a fishing vacation, I factor in the criteria and infrastructure. This list highlights destination fisheries that combine great fishing with a good assortment of lodging and meal options. In other words, varying lodging options might include family-owned resorts and cabins or nearby hotels with a variety of price points along with good restaurant options or at least grocery store options.
Leech Lake, Walker Minnesota
Leech Lake is annually one of Minnesota’s premier walleye fisheries but don’t overlook the bass, musky and panfish options. The community of Walker is a charming town with some hotels and several great restaurants. Make sure to check out Charlies Up North Restaurant for chicken, ribs and soup. The portions are enormous. For breakfast, the Outdoorsman Café is a favorite. Leech Lake also still has several resorts located around the lake. Chase on the Lake is a historic hotel/ resort in Walker located right on the water with a great restaurant. Other favorite resorts for our crew include Hiawatha Beach Resort and Bailey’s Resort. What I appreciate about Leech Lake is the fact that Leech Lake is large but broken up into several connected bays. There are also literally hundreds of small lakes within a short distance of Leech Lake so there is always a place you can hide out of the wind. When it comes to catching walleye on Leech Lake, however… wind is your friend. Fish the windblown side of the lake whenever you can.
Lake Vermillion, Minnesota
Vermillion has a lot going on and not only offers tremendous walleye fishing but great smallmouth bass fishing and is realistically one of the best musky fisheries in the state of Minnesota. Vermillion has several resorts and has that classic Minnesota resort/ lake life feel on a beautiful lake. Several patterns emerge and you can often target bigger walleyes with slip bobbers or jigs on shallow rocks or weed line breaks. For crazy numbers of eater size fish with the occasional jumbo, you can fill your live well through the summer by pulling lead core and crankbaits over deep transitions on the west end of the lake. The smallmouth seem abundant wherever there is rock or gravel on structure.
Webster, South Dakota
The Glacial Lakes Region of eastern South Dakota is comprised of some larger well-known lakes like Bitter Lake and Waubay Lake but there are also so many small lakes with great fishing potential. This region has so many solid walleye fishing opportunities that are perfect for adventurous anglers that want to do some exploring. You will have to drive down some gravel roads, but the opportunities seem endless. There are some resorts like Lynn Lake Lodge and Roy Lake Resort with some additional hotels and lodging options in Webster. There are also some under the radar smallmouth bass and largemouth bass fishing opportunities and of course you can also target some enormous perch, crappie and bluegill. For a smalltown café with a home cooked meal, make sure to stop at Pereboom’s Café. This might be my favorite café in the entire state of South Dakota.
Kabetogama Lake, Minnesota
What makes Kabetogama and connected Namakan Lake so special in my mind is that most of the lake is situated within Voyageurs National Park and is not developed. This water feels and looks like a remote Canadian Shield Lake. Tremendous walleye fishing with an endless amount of structure. The smallmouth bass fishing is also premier. Northern Lights Resort is a really nice family resort located right on the water. Idlewild Resort is also a favorite with really clean cabins and a heated swimming pool if you have your family with. Make sure to check out the burgers at the Rocky Ledge. The wild rice casserole is also a Minnesota classic.
St. Germain, Wisconsin
There are so many small lakes and chains in this region with great fishing for not just walleye but smallmouth bass, musky and panfish. Northern Wisconsin has a charm. Beautiful lakes and forests, a multitude of small bars, grills, restaurants and resorts all add to the nostalgic alure of this region. St. Germain Lodge located on Lake St. Germain is a favorite location for us. The connect Fibbers Bar and Grill is some of the best dining in the entire state as far as we are concerned. This region is ground zero if you are a musky nut but there is honestly so much great fishing for crappie, walleye and smallmouth bass that somehow flies under the radar of many anglers.
Devils Lake, North Dakota
The lake itself has several great resorts across the lake from east to west. The town of Devils Lake also has several great hotel and restaurant options. Devils Lake is a premier walleye fishery where anglers can target both numbers and size. The lake also has an abundant population of northern pike and white bass. Typically, anglers can find all three species shallow by targeting wind blown shorelines and weed edges. The lake is massive but broken up into several bays and basins. Grahams Island is a beautiful state park with camper hookups. Resorts include West Bay Resort, Woodland Resort, East Bay Campground and Resort, Lakeview Lodge and Hovde’s Resort. For one of the best steaks in North Dakota, check out the Ranch Steak House located in Devils Lake on Hwy 20 south.
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
This community located in Door County, Wisconsin has a historical feel with the ambiance only found on the Great Lakes. Anglers can find enormous walleye and smallmouth bass and so many great fishing opportunities lay within striking distance of nearby Green Bay. Stone Harbor Resort is an excellent place to stay with a great restaurant. There are some interesting museums and locations of historical interest in the surrounding area. Whether you are targeting walleye, smallmouth, musky or even perch… everything seems to get big in this area.
Lake Winnibigoshish, MN
Minnesotans refer to this lake as Winnie and the walleye fishing on this particular lake is realistically some of the best fishing in Minnesota. Like nearby Leech Lake, this body of water often fishes better with some wind. Focus on the shallow sand reefs and points where there is wind blowing in. The classic jig and shiner catch a lot of walleye through early summer. Later in the summer, switch up to spinner harnesses and rigs along the outside edge of the deeper weed lines or focus on the deeper gravel bars. Several resorts still surround Winnie, and this region still has that classic Northwoods fishing resort feel. Highbanks Resort is a location we filmed out of for years. This resort is old and historical on Winnie with a lot of history but don’t let the age fool you. This resort has been modernized over the years and there are a lot of outdoor activities if you are traveling with a family with kids.
Learn more about Crestliner pro angler, Jason Mitchell, and his preferred fishing boat model, the 1850 Pro Tiller.
