Walleye are found in many of the lakes in this area. Eagle Lake is your best bet for targeting bigger, trophy-sized walleye, but if you just want to catch some fish to eat, you have several options in the area lakes.
Eagle Lake
Eagle Lake is located in northwestern Ontario about 120 miles north of International Falls, Minnesota. There is plenty of water to fish with over 68,000 acres of water and over 400 miles of shoreline. Eagle Lake is a great lake for catching walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and muskie. There are plenty of fishing resorts and lodges located on the lake.
Indian Lakes Chain
This chain of lakes consists of 9 lakes and almost 30 miles of shorelines to fish. It is known as an outstanding muskie fishery for numbers and it has some big fish too. Anglers also target walleye, lake trout, smallmouth bass and perch on these lakes.
Corner Lake
Corner Lake is a decent-sized lake just south of Blue Lake and just minutes from the center of town. It is a pretty good fishing lake for muskie, walleye and pike.
Canyon Lake
Canyon Lake is a large, deep, clear lake that is known for its awesome muskie fishing. It’s one of the better action lakes for muskie in the area. Good muskie anglers have multiple fish days consistently from summer through fall. Anglers also target smallmouth bass and walleye here, but plan on fishing pretty deep if you are here in the summer or fall.
Square Lake, Long Lake & Bowden Lake
These three lakes are pretty remote, but there are some houses near the boat launch and you will most likely see some other anglers on these lakes, but they usually have minimal fishing pressure. You will need a 4×4 truck or SUV to launch your boats here and you’re probably better off with an 18 foot boat or smaller.
Long Lake
Long Lake is the first lake of these 3 connected lakes. It has murky water and is very shallow. It’s loaded with small northern pike, so if you want some action, you will enjoy this lake. One part of the lake does have some deeper water and some anglers do report some decent walleye fishing too. It is definitely more of a pike lake and most will be smaller.
Square Lake
Square Lake is deeper than Long Lake and it offers better fishing, especially for bigger fish. Walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass are all here in fishable numbers. You have some deep shorelines, lots of rocks, some weeds, current and islands. It is a small lake that you can easily fish in a half day.
Bowden Lake
Bowden Lake is the biggest of these 3 lakes. You may be able to get in through the stream that connects these lakes. If the water is low or your boat too big, you won’t be able to get through here due to the shallow water and rocks. If you can’t get through the stream, there is a resort that has its own launch.
Bowden Lake is the best lake of these 3 lakes. It has good numbers of northern pike, smallmouth bass and walleye with quality fish too. You have points, islands, rocks, weeds and bays to fish. It’s a nice lake to fish with minimal fishing pressure.
Ely Lake
Ely Lake is a small lake close to the center of town. The boat launches aren’t great, so bring a smaller boat and a 4×4 truck or SUV. This lake has some deep water, lots of rocks, some bays with weeds and wood and a good sized island that attracts a lot of fish. There are some nice smallmouth bass, some pike and walleye here too. Most of the pike will run smaller and you won’t catch a ton of walleye, but the smallmouth bass are worth a half day or more on this lake.
Other Backcountry Lakes
The smaller, backcountry lakes give anglers all kinds of options if you don’t mind fishing some of these lakes in a rowboat or kayak. Many of the smaller lakes in the area will have areas to launch your boat, but you will need a 4×4 truck or SUV. There are several lakes worth fishing that won’t have a launch, so you can just drop a rowboat, kayak or inflatable.
The smaller lakes in this area will have a good variety of fish. Most will have some pike in them. Some lakes have some walleye. Several lakes have good lake trout fishing and you can find some smallmouth bass here too.
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.
