All fishing regulations listed may not reflect the species found in the lake or flowage. Please check to make sure there is public access and water available for fishing. For complete fishing laws and regulations, consult the Wisconsin State Statutes Chapter 29 or the Administrative Code of the Department of Natural Resources. The protected slot limit on Walleye was relaxed (from 18 -26 inches to 20-26inches) effective on the 2014 Walleye opener to increase angler harvest opportunity.
The third largest lake in Minnesota at approximately 112,000 acres with a maximum depth of over 150 feet in Walker Bay. The main basin that includes Sucker Bay and Portage Bay has a maximum depth of about 40 feet and an average depth of 20 feet. Nearly 80 percent of the lake is less than 35 feet deep.Leech Lake is known as a multi-species fishery, including excellent fishing opportunities for Walleye, Muskie, Jumbo Perch (8'-14'), Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sunfish, and Crappie.
Leech Lake is known as a world class Muskie fishery. Catch-and-release is strongly encouraged to protect this exceptional fishery. Consider getting a fiberglass reproduction of any size Muskie including those over 54'. Take a colored picture, get an accurate length measurement and an accurate girth measurement. Girth is best measured with a fabric ruler around the fish at its widest point.
Primary Predator Species:
Walleye, Muskie and Northern Pike.
Principal Forage:
Perch and Cisco.
Current Walleye Slot:
All walleye between 20-26 inches long must be immediately returned to the water, a possession limit of 4 walleye with one longer than 26″ allowed in possession.
Current Muskie Slot:
All Muskie under 54' must be released with a possession limit of 1.
Spring Walleyes (opener to mid June) are found close to the sand, rock and gravel shorelines. The bait of choice are shinners, locally known as 'walleye candy' Concentrate on windswept points and shorelines. Use as small of a jig as possible (1/16 to 1/8 ounce) and fathead minnows may be used in the absence of shinners. Jig color can be a factor. When fishing with several people try various colors to see if there is a preference that day. Green is a great color to start with but also have blue, pink, orange, and yellow as well as blends of 2-3 of these colors. In windy conditions walleyes are caught as shallow as 4ft, a depth over looked by many.By early summer, walleyes leave the shoreline zones and move to sand/gravel points, weedbeds, flats and rock reefs, feeding on small perch and crayfish. Slowly troll a Lindy rig tipped with a leech or crawler along the weed edges and drop-offs.
The lack of wind can make Leech Lake walleye fishing difficult, especially if those conditions continue for several days. If you are hungry for a walleye dinner try evening fishing on those days. Trolling crankbaits in 8-12ft after dark will often take fish that are virtually impossible to catch during the daylight hours.
In August the key is covering water and the method of choice is trolling crankbaits in 10-14ft. As the water temps drop below 65 they return to the spring locations and a jig and minnow bite. Fatheads and Rainbows are good minnow options.
Early season Muskie action is best in the shallow bays that develop submergent and emergent weed growth. Portage, Boy, Sucker and Steamboat bays are all good early season choices. Bucktails or Jerkbaits retrieved over the developing cabbage and coontail beds are effective at this time of year. Black is a great starting point for color. As the water temps increase so should your retrieval speed. You can not go to fast for a Muskie in warm (mid to upper 70's) waterLeech Lake Northern Pike Slot Tournaments
temperatures.Shallow rocks on the windward side of a reef can be particularly good. Top water baits are suggested to effectively work the shallow rocks. Submarine Island and the entire reef complex around Pelican Island always hold good numbers of fish. The end of September start looking at rocky shorelines. Fishing pressure for Muskie during fall is extremely light and is the best time to land a trophy. Mid October to ice up Walker Bay is the top Muskie location as they fatten up on Tullibee. Troll deep-diving crankbaits along the deep weed edges or find mid lake schools of Tullibee.
Leech Lake: Multi-Species Paradise
Leech Lake Northern Pike Slot Machines
Leech Lake in Cass County, Minnesota, is among sportfishing's crown jewels in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Third in size only to Red Lake and Mille Lacs, Leech's 110,000 acres offer a diverse landscape of structure and cover that holds a wide array of gamefish species for winter and open-water anglers.
Leech Lake Northern Pike Slot Machine
Its irregular shoreline is studded with bays, large and small, that feature fish-holding structure and cover—breaklines, weedbeds, islands, humps, bars and holes. While the lake's deepest section, in Walker Bay, drops to around 150 feet, 80 percent of Leech is less than 35 feet deep. Overall water clarity is about 9 feet.
Known for excellent multi-species fishing opportunities, Leech draws warm-weather and winter fishermen in pursuit of walleyes, yellow perch, largemouth bass, muskies, northern pike, crappies and other panfish. Walleyes and perch, however, are the primary targets, summer and winter.
Good walleye year-classes from 2010 through 2012 spell great news for anglers during the 2015-16 fishing season and beyond, according to Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources. The agency's 2014 sample netting showed numbers of fish at the midpoint of the normal range for similar lakes, and the average weight of sampled fish exceeded the normal range.
To ensure the lake's popular walleye fishery remains productive in the future, the state instituted a 20- to 26-inch protected slot limit in 2014. One walleye longer than 26 inches, however, may be part of an angler's 4-fish daily bag.
Options for winter walleyes abound on Leech. Main-lake hotspots include a variety of reefs, points and breaklines lying in 12 to 16 feet.
Walker Bay is a perennial producer as well, with 18- to 28-foot humps that hold fish season long, plus productive points and shoreline breaks.
Leech Lake is known as a world class Muskie fishery. Catch-and-release is strongly encouraged to protect this exceptional fishery. Consider getting a fiberglass reproduction of any size Muskie including those over 54'. Take a colored picture, get an accurate length measurement and an accurate girth measurement. Girth is best measured with a fabric ruler around the fish at its widest point.
Primary Predator Species:
Walleye, Muskie and Northern Pike.
Principal Forage:
Perch and Cisco.
Current Walleye Slot:
All walleye between 20-26 inches long must be immediately returned to the water, a possession limit of 4 walleye with one longer than 26″ allowed in possession.
Current Muskie Slot:
All Muskie under 54' must be released with a possession limit of 1.
Spring Walleyes (opener to mid June) are found close to the sand, rock and gravel shorelines. The bait of choice are shinners, locally known as 'walleye candy' Concentrate on windswept points and shorelines. Use as small of a jig as possible (1/16 to 1/8 ounce) and fathead minnows may be used in the absence of shinners. Jig color can be a factor. When fishing with several people try various colors to see if there is a preference that day. Green is a great color to start with but also have blue, pink, orange, and yellow as well as blends of 2-3 of these colors. In windy conditions walleyes are caught as shallow as 4ft, a depth over looked by many.By early summer, walleyes leave the shoreline zones and move to sand/gravel points, weedbeds, flats and rock reefs, feeding on small perch and crayfish. Slowly troll a Lindy rig tipped with a leech or crawler along the weed edges and drop-offs.
The lack of wind can make Leech Lake walleye fishing difficult, especially if those conditions continue for several days. If you are hungry for a walleye dinner try evening fishing on those days. Trolling crankbaits in 8-12ft after dark will often take fish that are virtually impossible to catch during the daylight hours.
In August the key is covering water and the method of choice is trolling crankbaits in 10-14ft. As the water temps drop below 65 they return to the spring locations and a jig and minnow bite. Fatheads and Rainbows are good minnow options.
Early season Muskie action is best in the shallow bays that develop submergent and emergent weed growth. Portage, Boy, Sucker and Steamboat bays are all good early season choices. Bucktails or Jerkbaits retrieved over the developing cabbage and coontail beds are effective at this time of year. Black is a great starting point for color. As the water temps increase so should your retrieval speed. You can not go to fast for a Muskie in warm (mid to upper 70's) waterLeech Lake Northern Pike Slot Tournaments
temperatures.Shallow rocks on the windward side of a reef can be particularly good. Top water baits are suggested to effectively work the shallow rocks. Submarine Island and the entire reef complex around Pelican Island always hold good numbers of fish. The end of September start looking at rocky shorelines. Fishing pressure for Muskie during fall is extremely light and is the best time to land a trophy. Mid October to ice up Walker Bay is the top Muskie location as they fatten up on Tullibee. Troll deep-diving crankbaits along the deep weed edges or find mid lake schools of Tullibee.
Leech Lake: Multi-Species Paradise
Leech Lake Northern Pike Slot Machines
Leech Lake in Cass County, Minnesota, is among sportfishing's crown jewels in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Third in size only to Red Lake and Mille Lacs, Leech's 110,000 acres offer a diverse landscape of structure and cover that holds a wide array of gamefish species for winter and open-water anglers.
Leech Lake Northern Pike Slot Machine
Its irregular shoreline is studded with bays, large and small, that feature fish-holding structure and cover—breaklines, weedbeds, islands, humps, bars and holes. While the lake's deepest section, in Walker Bay, drops to around 150 feet, 80 percent of Leech is less than 35 feet deep. Overall water clarity is about 9 feet.
Known for excellent multi-species fishing opportunities, Leech draws warm-weather and winter fishermen in pursuit of walleyes, yellow perch, largemouth bass, muskies, northern pike, crappies and other panfish. Walleyes and perch, however, are the primary targets, summer and winter.
Good walleye year-classes from 2010 through 2012 spell great news for anglers during the 2015-16 fishing season and beyond, according to Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources. The agency's 2014 sample netting showed numbers of fish at the midpoint of the normal range for similar lakes, and the average weight of sampled fish exceeded the normal range.
To ensure the lake's popular walleye fishery remains productive in the future, the state instituted a 20- to 26-inch protected slot limit in 2014. One walleye longer than 26 inches, however, may be part of an angler's 4-fish daily bag.
Options for winter walleyes abound on Leech. Main-lake hotspots include a variety of reefs, points and breaklines lying in 12 to 16 feet.
Walker Bay is a perennial producer as well, with 18- to 28-foot humps that hold fish season long, plus productive points and shoreline breaks.
On the panfish front, basin edges and mid-depth flats featuring a soft bottom give up bluegills and crappies in midwinter, while sand-to-rock transitions in the main lake attract schools of jumbo perch. In late winter, however, all three types of panfish converge in shallow bays blessed with green weeds, providing the perfect end to the hardwater season.
Recommended Spring Set-up:
Northern Pike Slot On Leech Lake
Light braided line such as Bionic Walleye Braid in 6lb or 8lb attached to a 6lb or 8lb mono leader with a Northland Fire-Ball Jig is the way to go. Use as light of jig as you can. In most cases you can get by with an 1/8oz or 1/4oz Fire-Ball Jig. Tip this with either a shiner minnow or fathead minnow. For added security to hook that fish, hook on one of Northland's Sting'r Hook. Pitch this set-up into shallow weeds and use a slow retrieve method to seal the deal.
How to tie braided line to a mono or fluorocarbon leader: Watch Video
Access to this sprawling body of water is easy. There are numerous improved public landings around the shoreline, individually maintained by the DNR, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Forest Service or the City of Walker.
Leech Lake Northern Pike Slot Limit
Guide Contacts: Mark Christianson, (218) 547-2521; Al Maas, (218) 547-1600.
