MINNEAPOLIS _ No state has more walleye lakes and rivers than Minnesota. Some 1,700 of the state's storied 10,000-plus lakes, covering about 2 million acres, harbor walleyes, along with 3,000-miles of walleye-infested rivers.
The state's big-boy walleye lakes include Mille Lacs, Leech, Lake of the Woods, Upper Red, Winnibigoshish, Rainy, Vermilion, Pepin, Kabetogama and Cass.
The good news is the season's late start, which began last weekend, is expected to extend highly productive late spring/early summer walleye angling further into June than is typically the case. The long Memorial Day Weekend should be gangbusters for walleyes.
Information on all Minnesota walleye lakes is easily accessed at the Department of Natural Resources LakeFinder site (dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/index.html). Simply punch in the name of the lake you want to know more about _ including stocking information _ and in an instant everything needed to plan an outing is displayed, including locations of public accesses.
How big are they?
Though most walleyes range from 1 to 2 pounds, LeRoy Chiovitte landed a much larger specimen: a 17-pound, 8-ounce lunker that is the Minnesota state record. Chiovitte's fish was caught on the Seagull River where it enters Saganaga Lake on May 13, 1979. For many years, the record was considered untouchable, in part because he caught his pre-spawn wall-hanger in a place that nowadays is off-limits to fishing until the spawn is complete.
But is the record a forever high-water mark? Don't count on it.
Former University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks landed a 17-pound, 6-ounce heavyweight on July 4, 1989, on Loon Lake along the Gunflint Trail in northeastern Minnesota. A mere 2 ounces shy of Chiovitte's fish, Bruininks' walleye might have claimed the record had he been able to weigh his catch sooner.
Then in 2012, Don Mickel, a Bemidji area fishing guide, said he caught a 35.1-inch walleye on the Rainy River (in Minnesota waters). With a 24.25-inch girth, the fish tipped 17.9 pounds on Mickel's hand scale. By comparison, Chiovitte's record was 35.8 inches long with a 21.3-inch girth. So, a record, right?
"(The DNR) told me the walleye was a catch-and-release fish (in that area) and that, because of (that) regulation, it had to be released and couldn't be recognized as a state record," Mickel said at the time.
