UPPER MIDWEST LAKES FISHING MAP
Fishing Hot Spots
Walleye, muskie and ice-fishing country: Lake of the Woods, Upper Red Lake and Lake Vermilion in northern Minnesota, Mille Lacs, Leech Lake and Lake Winnie, Lake Winnebago, the Chippewa Flowage and Lake Pepin in Wisconsin, and Devils Lake, Lake Sakakawea and Lake Oahe in the Dakotas. Tap any star or dot to see what it is and what to fish there.
More map layers
Fishing & access
Marine chart layers
Parks & rules
Safety: these are planning references. Use current official charts, weather and marine alerts and proper safety equipment before heading out.
Lake guides for this map
Month-by-month patterns, fish, ramps and rules for each water:
Fishing Hot Spots by area
Lakes and reservoirs. Tap one to fly to it on the map.
Walleye country
The Upper Midwest lives for walleye. Lake of the Woods, Mille Lacs, Leech, Winnie, Lake Oahe and Lake Sakakawea are some of the best walleye lakes anywhere, and the Rainy River and Lake Pepin have big spring runs.
Muskie hunters head to the Chippewa Flowage, where the world record was caught in 1949, and to Vermilion, Leech and Mille Lacs. In winter, whole towns of ice houses appear on Lake of the Woods, Upper Red, Mille Lacs and Devils Lake.
Rules: each state sells its own license, walleye limits and slots change by lake and year, and some lakes are in tribal waters with their own rules. Ice is never 100% safe; check local reports before you walk or drive on it.
BigJoe’s gear for Upper Midwest Lakes
What BigJoe would bring to fish these waters.
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