Even with that information, Orcutt finds himself beginning shallow and moving deeper until he finds walleyes. In May and June, that means working the rocky areas and rocky points in addition to the areas where a river enters the lake.

“Once you find the depth they are holding at, you can pretty much count on finding them at that same depth everywhere else on the lake,” he said.

In the summer, Orcutt likes using bottom bouncers with holographic spinners tipped with a minnow. Chartreuse seemed to be the most reliable color, although experimentation is key. He also uses crawlers and leeches, but fatheads and rainbow chubs seem to outperform them.

“I once cleaned a 14-inch walleye out of Shagawa that had 13 minnows in it,” he said. “Some were still flopping around.”

BEAR ISLAND LAKE
Located northwest of Babbitt, Bear Island Lake sits atop the great continental divide. It is a large, sprawling lake sandwiched between the Vermilion and Mesabi ranges full of arms, points and islands, not to mention a healthy supply of walleyes.

“It’s considered one of our area’s better walleye lakes,” said Joe Geis, DNR fisheries manager in Tower.

There are three accesses on the 2,351-acre lake, two at the northeast corner and one on the southwest shore. Anglers may choose which side of the lake to access and maximize their fishing time rather than running across the lake. This is critical, since Bear Island walleyes are plentiful but can be difficult to find, Geis said.

“It’s a very clear lake, so low-light periods are going to be better and you’ll probably do better on overcast days, but if baitfish are up in the shallow, walleyes will be there as well, even on a bright, sunny day,” he said.

Tulibees and perch make up the majority of a walleye’s diet, helping them grow faster than those in other area lakes. The 2001 year-class is the strongest, although DNR surveys found a total of 10 year-classes.

EAGLE’S NEST LAKE
There are actually four lakes with the name “Eagle’s Nest” and they are defined very simply -- Eagle’s Nest 1, Eagle’s Nest 2, Eagle’s Nest 3 and Eagle’s Nest 4. Whoever named the lakes must have been a walleye angler because the names are in the order one should fish them.

“It seems like every year a 7- to 10-pound walleye comes out of there,” Orcutt said. “It doesn’t get a lot of pressure, so it’s a great one to consider if you want to escape the crowds and still catch a bunch of fish.”

A word of caution to boaters: Because the lakes receive so little pressure, there are no buoys marking the reefs located throughout the basins.

“I’ve dinged a motor myself, so you need to be careful, but those rockpiles are also great places to fish,” Orcutt said. “You want to find them just not with the bottom of your boat or motor.”

Lakes No. 1 and No. 2 are connected and cover a total of 730 acres. They are heavily stocked with walleyes released from the landing on Lake 2. Lake No. 3 is the largest at 1,000 acres, while Lake No. 4 is the smallest at 177 acres. Lake 3 has two accesses on the southern corners of the lake. Lake 4 has one access and Lake 2 has one access.