World's Largest Walleye

The walleye is a large, golden-flecked freshwater fish named for its glassy, light-gathering eyes, which let it hunt well in low light and stirred-up water. It is prized both as a sport fish, cagey and rewarding to catch, and as one of the best-eating fish in fresh water, and it holds such a place in the state's heart that it was named the official state fish of Minnesota.

Fishing for walleye is woven deep into Minnesota life, from the opening-day rituals of spring to the ice-fishing houses that dot the frozen lakes in winter. The giant walleye at Garrison honors that culture, standing as a monument to a fish that draws anglers from across the country and anchors the economy of many a lakeside town.

Mille Lacs Lake is one of the biggest lakes entirely inside Minnesota, a broad, shallow, wind-swept water that warms and feeds a huge population of fish. For generations it has been one of the most famous walleye lakes in the country, drawing anglers to its resorts, launches, and ice-fishing camps, and the town of Garrison grew up as a gateway to those waters.

The lake's fishery is carefully managed, with seasons and rules that shift to protect the walleye population, a reflection of how important and how closely watched this water is. The giant walleye statue on the Garrison shore is the perfect ambassador for a lake whose fame rests on the very fish it depicts, standing guard over the water that made the town.

Mille Lacs Lake lies at the heart of the homeland of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, the Anishinaabe, who have lived on and fished these waters for generations and whose community remains a strong presence on the lake today. The lake and its fish have sustained the Ojibwe here through the fur-trade era, the treaty period, and into the present, and Ojibwe fishing rights on Mille Lacs are protected by long-standing treaties.

The name Mille Lacs, French for a thousand lakes, comes from the era of French fur traders, while the wider land carries the Dakota name Mni Sota Makoce, from which the state takes its name. The northern lake country has a shared Dakota and Ojibwe history, and the walleye that the statue celebrates has been central to the peoples of this lake far longer than any statue or sport-fishing tradition.

Garrison is a small shore town with resorts, launches, and lake overlooks, an easy base for a day on Mille Lacs or a stop on a drive through the Brainerd Lakes region. The giant walleye sits along the shore highway, an inviting place to pull over, take a photo, and gaze out over the big lake beyond.

The seasons rule life on Mille Lacs. Spring opens the fishing season with great fanfare, summer fills the shore with anglers and vacationers, and fall brings quiet days and turning color around the lake. Winter transforms it entirely, as ice-fishing villages spring up on the frozen surface, a spectacle unto themselves and a reminder that on this lake, the fishing never really stops.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.