Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

Ask anglers from Minnesota to point toward the best walleye fishing in our state and most of their arms will swivel northward like a reliable compass. That is understandable, and that is also just fine with the folks living in southern and western Minnesota.

The valleys and prairies of "downstate" Minnesota are dotted with lakes, and most of those waters have good numbers of walleyes swimming in them. You could call it Minnesota's best-kept secret among Minnesotans, but it isn't a secret to folks from the Dakotas, Iowa or even Kansas and Nebraska.

"On the lakes down here, we have similar pressure estimates per acre as the rest of the state, but most of the pressure is local, and our main tourism comes from south and west of here," said Bob Davis, the Department of Natural Resources' Windom-area fisheries manger.

Those out-of-state anglers travel to southern and western Minnesota to avoid the longer drive to the northwoods. Why drive farther when you can catch just as many walleyes closer to home?

"We have quite a few walleye lakes down here, more than any other kind of lake, as a matter of fact," Davis noted.

Anglers and fisheries managers said these downstate lakes are worth checking out.

"Down here, you don't have the same walleye populations as elsewhere in the state, but you can get some really hot bites that are a lot of fun to be part of," said Jim Miller, tournament director of the Minnesota Walleye Trail and a resident of southern Minnesota near Fairmont.

John House is an avid walleye angler who fishes throughout Minnesota, including the southern and western sections. He said most southern and western walleye lakes look much different on a map from the lakes in the northern two-thirds of our state. If you are going to try these lakes, prepare to fish the weeds because they are walleye magnets. In a lake devoid of considerable structure, the clumps of cabbage and coontail are going to hold the majority of your walleyes because that is where the baitfish are hiding. Plastic worms work great in these locations because they can be easily rigged to be weedless.

"You want to keep the size of your plastic worms and grubs in the 3- to 4-inch range," House said.

Trolling and casting crankbaits also works on the southern and western Minnesota lakes.

"Minnow-shaped crankbaits like the 3 1/2-inch Rogue are excellent, especially in white-perch or fire-tiger," House said.

There are many good walleye waters in southern and western Minnesota, but here are the top 10 lakes.

FAIRMONT CHAIN
There are five lakes in this chain of lakes just outside the city of Fairmont in Martin County, which is right next door to Iowa. Miller said this is one of his favorite places to fish in Minnesota, with Hall Lake being his first choice on the Fairmont Chain.

"Last year, Hall was a great lake for casting crankbaits in the evening and producing some good-sized fish, although the numbers weren't there as much," Miller said.

Most of Hall Lake is a large shallow basin no deeper than 8 feet -- although there is one large hole going down to 24 feet -- with numerous underwater points and turns. The south end of Hall where Amber Lake flows in through a small creek is another good location, Miller noted.

"There's a yacht club down there with a big beach near the incoming water from Amber, which is a great spot for walleyes in the evening," Miller added.