Walleye are available here in most of the lakes, but don’t expect to find them in huge numbers in any of them. Lake Vermilion has a lot of walleye in it, but the eastern side of the lake is much better for walleye and that is a lot farther away. Most people who come to Orr, Minnesota will usually fish the west end of the lake because it is only about 25 minutes away from town.
Some of the local lakes have some good fishing for panfish with fishable populations of walleye, so many anglers will just fish with large fathead minnows and they get a mixed bag of crappie, perch and some walleye mixed in too. If you are here on a trip and are struggling with walleye, you can always head over to Kabetogama Lake for a day. It is about 40 minutes away and it has very good walleye fishing.
Pelican Lake
Pelican Lake is a good fishing lake right in the middle of Orr, Minnesota. This is a popular lake to stop at for a day for many anglers that are making the far drive from some of the states down south up into Canada. For those of you that plan on making a trip here for multiple days, there are a lot of fishing opportunities that will keep you busy here. The lake is known for its good bass fishing and panfish. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass have special regulations here and that has helped this lake become a very good lake for targeting quality-sized bass. You will find both species of fish here in fishable numbers. Most anglers target panfish on this lake. The crappie and bluegill fishery is very good here and it’s possible to fill a livewell with some nice-sized fish.
Northern pike fishing is also solid on this lake if you want to target them. Don’t expect to catch huge numbers of them here, but you will get some action if you fish for them. The fishing for walleye is tougher on this lake, but there are some walleye in the lake and some anglers do fish for them.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Lake Vermilion (West End)
The west end of Lake Vermilion is about a 25 minute drive from Orr, Minnesota. This part of the lake has clearer water and is much better if you’re here during windy conditions. This end of the lake doesn’t have as much offshore structure as you will find on the east end, but there are still plenty of islands here to go along with bays, points, neckdowns and many other areas to fish. With the clearer water, the weeds grow deeper on this side of the lake. The west end is also known as being better for largemouth bass and crappie, however, you will still find some walleye, northern pike, muskie, smallmouth bass and perch on this side of the lake.
Go to our Lake Vermilion Fishing page to learn more about the fishing here.
Ban Lake
Ban Lake is a smaller lake covering 389 acres. The lake is located about 7 miles east of Orr, Minnesota. It is a shallow lake that is primarily managed for panfish. Bluegill, crappie and northern pike are here in good numbers, so if you want to catch some fish, you will definitely be able to do so on this lake. Perch, largemouth bass and walleye are here in low numbers.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Elbow Lake
Elbow Lake is a Canadian shield lake with a lot of rock structure. The water is bog-stained and infertile. Because of this, the lake has low numbers of fish here, but there are walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie and perch. This lake doesn’t receive a ton of fishing pressure.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Kjostad Lake
Kjostad Lake is a 438 acre lake that is located about 12 miles east of Orr, Minnesota. This lake has some deep water with a maximum depth of 50 feet. It supports a pretty diverse fishery and gets little angling pressure. Smallmouth bass are here in decent numbers. Largemouth bass are limited. Northern pike and walleye are here in low numbers, but there are some very big fish here. Bluegill, crappie and perch round out the panfish fishery.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Moose Lake
Moose Lake is a 929 acre lake located about 2 miles northeast of Orr, Minnesota. It is a shallow lake with a maximum depth of only 10 feet. Even with its shallow waters, this lake tends to be a very productive lake on most year. With the shallow water, you do have to worry about large fish kills on this lake in the winter, so it can be an inconsistent fishery. Between winter fish kills, this lake does put together some good spawns and quickly becomes productive again for a variety of fish. Anglers target northern pike, walleye, bluegill, crappie and perch. Walleye are stocked here to maintain a fishable population for anglers.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Myrtle Lake
Myrtle Lake is an 876 acre lake about 8 miles east of Orr, Minnesota. This lake has a maximum depth of 20 feet with most of the lake less than 15 feet deep. There are good numbers of bluegill, crappie and perch in the lake. Anglers also target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike and walleye.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Best Baits for Walleye
Walleye eat a variety of different baits, however, when push comes to shove, it is much easier to catch them with live baits. Minnows, nightcrawlers and leeches are definitely the best live baits for walleye.
While most anglers will just use live baits, many anglers will also target walleye with lures as well. Crankbaits and soft plastics are the best lures for walleye, however, you can catch walleye with a variety of different lures.
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Best Rigs for Walleye
When targeting walleye, there are many different rigs that you can use to catch them. While most anglers will keep it super simple and just use a simple jighead, many anglers will use a variety of rigs such as spinner rigs, 3 way rigs, bottom bouncers, drop shot rigs and many others.
To learn more, take a look at our best rigs for walleye page.
Best Techniques for Walleye
Jigging is by far the most popular technique for walleye fishing, however, you can catch them a variety of different ways. Casting, trolling and drifting are some of the other awesome techniques that anglers use.
To learn more, take a look at our best techniques for walleye page.
Learn More About Walleye
Our walleye fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our walleye fishing website to learn more.
