For several decades, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has been managing many of the sprawling, shallow prairie lakes in southern Minnesota for the purpose of creating walleye fisheries. They have had excellent results. Walleye fry have been stocked in these lakes by the millions. Aerators have been put in place to reduce the ever-present threat of low oxygen levels during the winter. Although the bottom dynamics of these lakes may not be ideal for walleye reproduction, the fertile and shallow water warms quickly in the spring, resulting in extremely rapid growth of stocked fish. This promotes a fast return of productivity following the occasional and inevitable winterkill. Also, while bass and pike are certainly present, they do not pose as big of a threat to juvenile walleyes as in the smaller spring-fed lakes.

The ingredients are all there: millions of walleye fry, an excellent survival rate and the ability to quickly gain girth. The results can be some of the best walleye fishing in the southern half of the state, if not all of Minnesota.

Let's take a closer look at a trio of these downstate prairie lakes. Although they are in differing stages of reclamation, all three are currently putting smiles on the faces of walleye anglers.

ALBERT LEA LAKE
As ice-anglers enter southern Minnesota from Iowa on Interstate 35, they don't have to wait long to get a glimpse at one of our 10,000 lakes. In fact, they get a low-flying bird's-eye view because I-35 spans Albert Lea Lake just a few miles before intersecting with I-90. As visitors look across this expansive lake, they may have no idea that a welcoming committee of walleyes is hidden beneath its surface.

Albert Lea Lake is on the southeast corner of the city that shares its name in Freeborn County. At more than 2,500 acres, Albert Lea is also shallow. Depths in the main body of this lake seldom surpass 5 feet, with a 6-foot maximum. However, deeper water is located in a channel that feeds into this lake from neighboring Fountain Lake within the city of Albert Lea. The inlet has been dredged in the past and reaches a depth of 14 feet.

Despite the presence of an aerator, this lake is very susceptible to freeze-out. The last to occur was in spring 2004. Originally believed to be a devastating winterkill, test-netting done by the DNR later that summer revealed that a substantial population of adult fish had survived. Before the fateful freeze, the lake was very productive, with 6- to 8-pound walleyes part of the catch. It is now known that a fair percentage of this size of fish are still present, along with many smaller 'eyes remaining from earlier stocking. Plus, more than 2 million walleye fry were planted in Albert Lea Lake during the summer of 2004 and again in 2005. These fish have exploded in size. Those introduced to the lake in 2004 are very numerous and should produce plenty of action throughout this winter and into the future.