Old Lake CottageWalleye fishing near Chapleau, ON
1,817 documented waters within 300 km, 380 of them with walleye as the primary species.
Where they are biting today
- Vermilion River (rivière Vermillion)80
- Mowat Creek80
- Wanapitei Lake (lac Wanapitei)79
- Lake Temiskaming (Temiskaming Shores)79
- Lake Wanapitei (Sudbury)79
- Kynoch Creek79
- Makami River79
- Makami River79
- Wanapitei Lake (lac Wanapitei)79
- Council Creek79
Fishing walleye around Chapleau
Anglers based in Chapleau have 1817 documented waters holding walleye within a reasonable drive, which makes picking today's water the real decision. That choice is exactly what the daily scores are for: every water on this page is re-scored each morning, so the order reflects current conditions, not last season's stories.
Start with Vermilion River (rivière Vermillion), today's top scorer at 80 (about 212 km from Chapleau). If it is busy or the wind is wrong, Mowat Creek scores 80 (about 215 km from Chapleau). Wanapitei Lake (lac Wanapitei) at 79 is the third card worth keeping in hand. All of these numbers come from the same daily model, so they are directly comparable water to water.
Walleye have large, light-sensitive eyes that give them sharp low-light vision - the same trait behind their name (that eerie eye-shine) also explains why they feed most actively at dawn, dusk, and after dark, retreating to deeper, darker water on bright days. Early-season Ontario walleye hold near their spawning rivers and on windswept boulder or coarse-gravel shoals, sliding out to deeper weed lines, drop-offs and channel edges as summer builds. The jig-and-minnow worked near bottom is the default Ontario presentation - vertical jigging in clear water by day, with crankbaits and spinners over shallow structure once the light drops. Across much of Ontario the walleye season closes for the spawn in mid-March and reopens on the third Saturday of May - the traditional May opener - though dates differ by zone.
Treat this page as a living shortlist: the ranking refreshes daily (currently showing September 15, 2026), and a shift in wind, cloud cover or water temperature is often enough to reorder it.