Welcome to our Leech Lake Fishing Home Page
Leech Lake is located mainly within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and completely within the Chippewa National Forest in north central Minnesota. The Lake is one of the most popular tourism destinations in all of Minnesota. There are numerous recreational opportunities here such as fishing, boating, hunting, golfing, hiking, biking and much more. You will find a variety of accommodations here to fit your needs.
Primary Species of Fish
Northern Pike, Walleye & Muskie
The primary species of fish that most anglers come to Leech Lake are walleye, northern pike and muskie. All 3 species are here in good enough numbers for anglers to target them and catch them. There are some trophy-sized fish here too for all 3 species of fish.
Secondary Species of Fish
Largemouth Bass, Perch, Crappie, Bluegill & Other Sunfish
This lake has such a diverse fishery. If you’re just looking for action, you can fish with live bait and catch a little bit of everything. For those of you looking to target largemouth bass, there is a solid fishery here and most anglers don’t even think about fishing for bass here. Find the weeds, fish shallow and don’t be shocked when a pike hits your bass lures.
Fish the Bays
Leech Lake is huge and it does have several major bays. With the size of these bays, many of them fish kind of like smaller lakes. Depending on the bay, you may find a variety of things that may hold fish from weeds, rocks, nice drop-offs and large flats. The bays will hold fish during the entire year, so don’t just think of the bays as a spring time thing on Leech Lake. The spring does offer some really good fishing in the bays in the shallows, however, there is enough depth in them to hold fish all year long.
Fish the Flats
There are some very large flats here in some of the bays. These flats can hold bait fish and the bigger fish will move onto them to find an easy meal. These flats may have some weeds, rock or mud on them, which can hold certain fish depending on the time of year. Many anglers will drift or troll these flats with live bait and spinner rigs for walleye and they will catch some pike, perch and other panfish too.
Fish the Offshore Structure
Islands
You have a couple islands here to fish and they are large enough to hold some good numbers of fish at times. Fish the shorelines in the spring and then go deeper later in the year for more success.
Reefs
Leech Lake has plenty of shallow rock reefs that provide some good fishing for anglers. Anglers will fish the reefs for walleye, but other fish will be mixed in too. Don’t be surprised to find pike, perch, crappie, bluegill and other sunfish here during the summer and fall.
Fish the Points
There are several points on Leech Lake and some of these large pieces of structure can hold a lot of fish depending on the time of year, which way the wind is blowing and where the large schools of bait fish are currently at when you are here fishing. Points are always a good place to start and a good place to stop while fishing on Leech Lake.
Fish the Weeds
Leech Lake has a lot of vegetation on it. For some anglers, they just target the weeds and they do well. Fish the weed edges, cabbage and reeds for a variety of fish. Walleye, pike, walleye, crappie, bass and bluegill will all be found using some type of vegetation while here.
Leech Lake Fishing Reports
Leech Lake Fishing Regulations
