Wisconsin Walleye Fishing Hot Spots

In Wisconsin, walleye fishing is such a popular sport that some resorts center their activities, lodging, and entire advertising campaigns around it. Especially in the winter during ice fishing season, these resorts are a popular getaway, and finding lodging can be a nightmare. However, when you realize that walleye fishing in Wisconsin is some of the best in the country, you'll understand why people flock to the area, and you'll be ready to make the journey yourself.

One of the best locations to visit is the Menominee River, especially around Marinette, Wisconsin. Here, the walleye begin to bite about four days after the slack off at the lower Fox River, about mid spring. It's about an hour's drive north of the popular Fox River location, but it's worth taking advantage of, especially since there are seasons where the good catch only lasts a couple of days. After that, Wisconsin walleye fishing may be dead for another year. During the run at the Menominee River, you'll find that the walleye move quickly from the mouth of Green Bay to the Hattie Street dam, and you'll need a boat to find any kind of consistency; this is because they first stay near the edges of the ice in the waters of Green Bay. However, as they move inland, you may want to cast your boat aside and wade in knee-deep or simply cast out from shore.

Wisconsin fishing is also popular at Oconto River, which runs through northeastern Wisconsin about halfway between the Fox and Menominee Rivers. It's a small river, but if you hit it at the downtown park just west of Highway 41 when the walleye begin to migrate upstream, you'll have a really productive trip. It's not easy to access, but if you go down to the edge and slip into a pair of waders around dusk, you may find an incredible catch.

The Wisconsin River provides more excellent fishing. This river has tons of dams between the Grandfather and Grandmother Dams in the north and the Prairie du Sac Dam at the lower end of Lake Wisconsin. Walleye fishing is extremely productive at and around these dams, most of which offer shore access to the river for excellent fishing opportunities. One of the best stretches of good walleye fishing here is between the dam at Wisconsin dells in the north and Pine island, especially just southwest of Portage, where you'll find points to fish off a levee road in the Pine Island State Wildlife area. There is also a great little black eddy on the south side of the river near Hillside Drive that gives up a great catch of walleye.