Minnesota · ranked from DNR surveys
Best walleye lakes in Hennepin County
37 surveyed walleye lakes sit in Hennepin County; 12 cleared this site's grade rubric, which reads DNR survey catch rates, size structure and trophy history the same way the live map does for every lake. The top 10 are ranked here.
Minnetonka Lake leads at grade A−, with 2.5 walleye per net in gill nets in its 2022 survey and a 26-inch fish the biggest measured. Independence Lake is next at A−, 6.7 walleye per net in gill nets in its 2025 survey, 46% of the walleye netted over 20 inches. Nokomis Lake rounds out the top three at B+, a 24-inch fish the biggest measured.
| # | Lake | Grade | Acres | Survey catch rate | Over 20" | Biggest Surveyed | Avg wt | Surveyed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnetonka Lake | A− | 14,206 | 2.5/net in gill nets | 38% | 26" | 2.6 lb | 2022 |
| 2 | Independence Lake | A− | 832 | 6.7/net in gill nets | 46% | 28" | 2.8 lb | 2025 |
| 3 | Nokomis Lake | B+ | 201 | 12.2/net in gill nets | 24% | 24" | 2.2 lb | 2023 |
| 4 | Harriet Lake | B | 341 | 6/net in gill nets | 16% | 26" | 1.6 lb | 2024 |
| 5 | Sarah Lake | B | 557 | 3.1/net in gill nets | 72% | 25" | 3.2 lb | 2022 |
| 6 | Medicine Lake | B | 924 | 2.3/net in gill nets | 45% | 25" | 2.5 lb | 2023 |
| 7 | Bryant Lake | B− | 180 | 4.5/net in gill nets | 48% | 26" | 2.7 lb | 2023 |
| 8 | Long Lake | B− | 285 | 4/net in gill nets | 14% | 25" | 2.2 lb | 2023 |
| 9 | Lake of the Isles | C+ | 114 | — | 0% | 9" | 0.3 lb | 2024 |
| 10 | Fish Lake | C+ | 238 | 3.3/net in gill nets | 13% | 25" | 1.4 lb | 2024 |
Also ranked in Hennepin County: Northern pike · Largemouth bass · Crappie · Bluegill · Yellow perch
All of Minnesota: Best walleye lakes in Minnesota
Grades are this site's rubric over Minnesota DNR survey data (catch per unit effort against DNR benchmarks, size structure, trophy history). See any lake's page for the underlying numbers. Survey years vary by lake; the table shows each lake's latest.