Opening day of walleye fishing is in May and you will want to get your boat in the water before that day because if you do not, you will have a long line at the boat ramps. This is true of any lake or river that has seasonal walleye fishing restrictions. What you want to do is fine a lake or area where the walleye are present but know one takes the time to fish. There are places in Wisconsin that you can go and have a fulfilled day of walleye fishing. Wisconsin is big enough for everyone, but small enough to travel short distance to find some great places to fish.
Waukesha has some great areas for walleye fishing. Oconomowoc Lake and Lac La Bella are two popular places to fish for walleye. If you are looking for that one fish to hang on your wall, you will catch it at one of these lakes. Bella has a one walleye a day limit, which makes it an odd place to fish, but Oconomowoc, has a three walleye a day limit. Bella has to be twenty inches to keep and eighteen inches at Oconomowoc. Still, these are lakes to try because nobody utilizes them.
Big Yellow Lake is another great walleye fishing lake. The best time to fish this lake is around the end of May during the post-spawning season. You can fishing around the island during the summer months and find the walleye in the area if the water as a low light during certain times of the day. You can use a jig with a minnow or a shiner and a split shot works just as well. This is a good lake to fish, but you do have to know some of the top places to fish. The area anglers can tell you were to find the hot spots for the particular day.
If you want to travel farther north, Eagle River area is a good place for walleye fishing. The weeds along the shorelines as well as around the Eagle, Catfish and Cranberry lakes exit points is a great place to catch walleye. Right down the road you can use and Shad Rap and catch a walleye at Lac Vieux Desert. Two other areas close by are Thunder bay and Rice Bay. Keep in mind that these are some out of the way fishing holes that have an abundance of walleye that anglers just forget about when the take to the waters.
A popular lake that sees a lot of boat traffic is Lake Winnebago. This where anglers come to catch a walleye and test the waters for the big tournament in July call Walleye Fest. Before the tournament is the time to fish the walleye by weed beds and underwater rock formations. The best bait to use in Wisconsin seems to be a minnow and a jig. Some anglers use artificial bait, but you need to test the waters and see what is working on that particular day.
Dan Eggertsen is a fishing researcher and enthusiast who is committed to providing the best bass fishing information possible. Get more information on walleye fishing here: