Minnesota · ranked from DNR surveys
Best walleye lakes in St. Louis County
259 surveyed walleye lakes sit in St. Louis County; 109 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.
Rainy Lake leads at grade A+, with 6.1 walleye per net in gill nets in its 2025 survey and a 31-inch fish the biggest measured. Vermilion Lake is next at A+, 16.4 walleye per net in gill nets in its 2025 survey, 4% of the walleye netted over 20 inches. Pelican Lake rounds out the top three at A+, a 29-inch fish the biggest measured.
| # | Lake | Grade | Acres | Survey catch rate | Over 20" | Biggest Surveyed | Avg wt | Surveyed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rainy Lake | A+ | 210,200 | 6.1/net in gill nets | 7% | 31" | 1.6 lb | 2025 |
| 2 | Vermilion Lake | A+ | 39,272 | 16.4/net in gill nets | 4% | 29" | 1.1 lb | 2025 |
| 3 | Pelican Lake | A+ | 11,546 | 6.8/net in gill nets | 22% | 29" | 2 lb | 2022 |
| 4 | Birch Lake | A | 7,074 | 10.2/net in gill nets | 7% | 28" | 1 lb | 2025 |
| 5 | Wild Rice Lake | A | 2,372 | 15.9/net in gill nets | 11% | 28" | 1.6 lb | 2024 |
| 6 | Kabetogama Lake | A | 24,034 | 8.8/net in gill nets | 6% | 27" | 1.6 lb | 2025 |
| 7 | Little Vermilion Lake | A | 1,288 | 20.5/net in gill nets | 8% | 30" | 0.9 lb | 2021 |
| 8 | Lac la Croix Lake | A | 29,597 | 3.3/net in gill nets | 25% | 28" | 1.9 lb | 2025 |
| 9 | Namakan Lake | A | 24,066 | 6.7/net in gill nets | 11% | 27" | 1 lb | 2025 |
| 10 | Island Lake Reservoir | A | 8,001 | 4.9/net in gill nets | 12% | 31" | 1.4 lb | 2025 |
Also ranked in St. Louis County: Northern pike · Largemouth bass · Smallmouth 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.