Mike Cropp of Elkhorn admires the walleye his wife, Pat, caught on Delavan Lake in Walworth County while fishing with guide John Reddy. By mid-June, Reddy says, walleyes are usually just outside the weedlines in 12 to 17 feet of water. Photo courtesy of Reddy’s Guide Service.

Walleyes and Wisconsin go together like -- well, cheese and Wisconsin. In fact, one of my favorite walleye recipes is a steamy, cheesy au-gratin casserole that is so tasty it has made some folks swear off pizza. But that's another story!

To get a walleye into a casserole or frying pan, you must first get him into your net. Some anglers make a season-opener trip up north or spend a day on the Wolf River in April and figure that's the best they can do for these white-tipped wonders.

Others of us know better. Southern Wisconsin lakes are better known for bass, but a handful of the Badger State's southern lakes offer some of the hottest walleye action found anywhere south of the Canadian border. Here's a look at the top five in my book.

LAKE WINNEBAGO
If Lake Winnebago has somehow eluded your walleye radar screen in the past few years, you simply have not been paying attention. Lake Winnebago sprawls across 130,000 acres in east-central Wisconsin. It is the last lake in the chain on the Fox River, as it flows toward the bay of Green Bay. With a maximum depth of about 21 feet and an average depth closer to 7 feet, this is a shallow-water fishery.

Fisheries biologist Kendall Kamke of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in Oshkosh monitors the spawning run each year and conducts fall fingerling surveys to assess the annual walleye production. Most walleyes in the Winnebago Pool lakes -- Winnebago, Poygan, Butte des Mort, Winneconne -- spawn in upriver marshes on the Fox and Wolf rivers. Once they finish spawning, these fish head back to the lakes and leave the rest to nature. In recent years, the weather gods have smiled upon Winnebago pool walleyes; Kamke reports the lakes are loaded with fish of all sizes.

Winnebago walleyes here can be found in one of three places: on shallow rock reefs, in or near weeds and suspended over deep mud flats. One of these habitat types will usually hold fish actively feeding on abundant forage: shad, troutperch (known locally as "grounders" because they hug the bottom), or young-of-the year perch, white bass, crappies, sheeps­head or even walleyes.

When he wants big fish, tournament pro Steve Wiedmeyer of West Bend trolls deep water in the middle of the lake's north end, where he looks for schools of baitfish with walleyes suspended beneath them.

"I often start out with crankbaits," Wiedmeyer says. "And I'll vary the colors and depths until something clicks. If they don't produce, I'll switch to 'crawler harnesses and vary the blade colors until I start catching fish."

When he's looking for eating-size fish, Wiedmeyer likes to work the east shore breaks off Calumet Harbor. If he strikes out there, he often heads across the lake to troll off Oshkosh.

Jig-fishermen usually work the west-shore reefs south of Oshkosh. Most of these are marked on any good map. Some jut to within a few feet of the surface, so pay attention to your locator.

Weed growth has improved in Winnebago's many shallow bays, thanks in part to improved water clarity -- a welcomed byproduct of the otherwise destructive zebra mussel. Some anglers take good fish on weedless crankbaits, jigs and live bait right in the shallow weeds.

Lake Winnebago is anchored by Fond du Lac on the south and Neenah-Menasha on the north. Oshkosh sits at the mouth of the Fox River on the west shore. Public landings are found at every community around the lake, so decide where you want to start fishing, then pick a launch site.