You can catch walleyes and other species from the dock on Lake Calhoun in southwest Minneapolis. Photo by Ron Hustvedt Jr.

Shore-fishing is not just for kids and panfish anglers anymore. Serious anglers can catch a mess of walleyes in a bunch of locations around Minnesota without having to tow a boat around.

In a state that brags about how many lakes we have and declares the state fish as the walleye, the fact that they can be caught from the shore shouldn’t come as a surprise, but how many of you have scoffed at the idea of shore-fishing for walleyes? If you are honest, probably most of you. Shake away those old misconceptions and consider the locations often targeted by boat-bound walleye anglers. If you’ve ever fished for walleyes a cast-length from shore, then you fished in a location accessible to shore-fishing.

The tough part about shore-fishing is finding prime locations adjacent to publicly owned land. A lake could be full of walleyes, but if houses dot the entire shoreline, it’s basically off-limits to shore-anglers.

It’s a good thing there are hundreds of shore-fishing platforms and piers throughout Minnesota. It’s even better that many of them can be fished for walleyes. Here are some of the best, although this author recommends contacting the Department of Natural Resources for a copy of its Fishing Pier Map. Local bait shops are also great sources of information for shore-fishing. There is even a publicly updated shore-fishing discussion forum located at Fishing Minnesota’s Web site at www.fishingminnesota. com.

LAKE VERMILION
Few lakes have been written about more and discussed more than Lake Vermilion in St. Louis County in the last decade. It’s a multi-species haven, with a strong walleye bite. However, very little, if anything, has been mentioned about shore-fishing around this massive lake. Most of the shore is privately owned, but there is a significant area open to the public with some great walleye fishing.

“On Stunts Bay, you’ll find McKinley Park and also down the river off the lake into Tower are good public spots owned by the city of Tower,” said David Gubrud of Hoodoo Point Campground. The south side of the point is very rocky and attracts walleyes both in the spring and fall. “It’s a very big hotspot for the locals, and there is a trail leading to the area,” he added.

The campgrounds are open from May 1 to Oct. 1 and reservations are recommended during the peak times. There could be a summer night-bite at this location, but only campers know about it since all visitors must be gone by 10 p.m. when the campground closes.

For more information on the City of Tower’s Hoodoo Point Campground, call (218) 753-6868 or go online to www.lakevermilion.com.

LITTLE CUTFOOT SIOUX
Connected to Lake Winnibigoshish, the lake with the interesting name of Cutfoot Sioux is a major walleye hole that is used by the DNR as part of their stocking program.

“The DNR does stripping of walleyes. They get so thick around there,” said Bill Powell, owner of Fred’s Bait in Deer River.