Walleye Lakes

Hello fellas,

Planning an ice fishing trip for walleyes. What are some of the best walleye lakes in say, metro area over to maybe Waconia, and up in northern Wisconsin near Hayward… looking to keep the drive time to less than 4 hours from La Crosse area. Want to fish a smaller body of water that I can tackle a little easier. Thanks in advance! Looking for numbers, but obviously quality isn’t the worst thing!

I live in and fish the waconia/ Minnetonka area. There are fish to catch if you work for them. I would suggest for a trip to head a little further north and get away from some of the fishing pressure. Or just go right to the river.

Alex,
When I lived in the cities I used to fish Lake Independence and catch numbers..

That was a long time ago

Used to fish Hayward for walleyes all the time until the last two years. Haven’t had time to to up. Did well on LCO, Chippewa Flowage, Grindstone and Sissebegma (prolly spelled wrong)

Drive 4hr west to glacier lakes

Have you thought about Poygan or the lakes on the Fox River chain? There was an in-depth episode last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4-j4KCb2Us

It seems pretty sweet.

Michael Burcusa wrote:

Have you thought about Poygan or the lakes on the Fox River chain? There was an in-depth episode last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4-j4KCb2Us

It seems pretty sweet.

That has been considered and I think the plans are possibly in motion!

I would have to agree with justin, if you want to stay in Wisconsin in the Hayward area it’s hard to pass up Grindestone or lac courte oreilles.

As mentioned, Poygan is another good option, as are the Castle Rock and Petenwell flowages on the Wisconsin River.

Castle Rock and Petenwell are only about 1 hour away from my house, however I’ve never been there. Planning on taking multiple day trips over that way for walleyes.

Although I enjoy duck hunting in the fall, I have found myself scouring maps and doing research for ice season! I am pumped to try and put some walleyes on the ice this year!

Grindstone has a few very good year classes of walleyes in the lake right now and LCO always has the potential for a large fish. Another good option would be Round, which can produce quality fish if you’re willing to do your homework. The best part is all three lakes are located within a few miles of each other.