← Illinois fishing maps

Best walleye lakes in Illinois

29 Illinois waters hold walleye, 7 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Low-light predator with reflective eyes. Feeds on structure edges at dawn, dusk and night.

1. Lake Shelbyville — 65 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
2. Lake Springfield — 22 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites
3. Carlyle Lake — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
4. Mississippi River Pool 19 (Keokuk) — 43 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugerWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
5. Illinois River — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugerWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 14 public access sites
6. Mississippi River Pool 13 (Clinton) — 53 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugerWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
7. Lake Clinton — 45 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, CrappieWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
8. Rock River — 15 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 14 public access sites
9. Lake Decatur — 28 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
10. Kinkaid Lake — 80 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
11. Kankakee River — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
12. Illinois Waterway — Dresden Island Pool — 31 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
13. Fox River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #13: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 18 public access sites
14. Shabbona Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
15. Lincoln Trail State Park Lake — 38 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
16. Lake Bloomington — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #16: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
17. Evergreen Lake — 48 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugeyeWhy #17: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
18. Siloam Springs Lake — 38 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
19. Heidecke Lake — 59 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #19: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
20. Canton Lake — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #20: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
21. Sam Parr Lake — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugeyeWhy #21: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
22. Lake George — 58 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #22: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
23. Lake Paradise — 19 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugeyeWhy #23: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
24. East Fork Lake — 40 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #24: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
25. Pierce Lake — 36 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #25: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached

…plus 4 more Illinois waters holding walleye.

Find the closest walleye waters to you →

When to fish walleye in Illinois

• Spring 4–15 ft — Spawning runs to gravel shoals, rocky shorelines and inflows.
• Summer 15–35 ft — Deep humps and breaklines by day; edges and flats in low light.
• Fall 12–40 ft — Fish steep structure near deep basins; big fish move shallow at night.
• Winter 20–40 ft — Deep basin flats and humps; short dawn/dusk feeding windows.

Also in Illinois: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best white bass lakes · best saugeye lakes · best sauger lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best striped bass lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best blue catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes

Walleye elsewhere: Ontario · Wisconsin · Minnesota · British Columbia · Québec · Michigan · Montana · New York · Saskatchewan · Wyoming · Indiana · North Dakota · Iowa · Texas · Ohio · Alberta · Connecticut · Nebraska · Missouri · Vermont · Oklahoma · South Dakota · Utah · Arizona · Colorado · New Mexico · Kansas · West Virginia · New Jersey · Kentucky · Tennessee · Georgia · North Carolina · Manitoba · Virginia · Pennsylvania · Arkansas · Maryland