Leech lake has been known as a very good walleye fishing lake over the years. There were some tough years on this lake after 2000, but the walleye numbers have rebounded nicely to pre-2000 levels. Leech lake gives anglers the opportunity to catch a lot of walleye and there are plenty of big fish in here as well. If you know how to target walleye, you should be able to catch some fish on Leech Lake. This lake is so big and there are so many great areas to target walleye.
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. Walker bay, Kabekona bay, Steamboat bay and Agency bay are all popular bays that anglers fish for walleye.
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. If you are using live baits, don’t be shocked if you catch a variety of other fish too such as perch, rock bass, crappie, sunfish and pike.
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 deeper water around these islands to experience better walleye fishing.
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. The deeper water near these reefs will be better spots to target walleye from summer through fall.
Fish the Points
Some of the points offer great fishing for walleye, especially during the spring. On the main lake, the following points are productive walleye fishing spots: Duck, Grassy, Ottertail, Partridge, Pine, Stoney & Sugar. Second Point and Mounds Point are also good areas to fish for walleye.
Fish the Weeds
Leech Lake has a lot of vegetation on it. The early green weeds hold a lot of walleye early in the year. In the summer and fall, the deeper weed edges are good spots to fish for walleye. You will also find plenty of perch and northern pike in these area as well.
Best Baits for Walleye
Walleye eat a variety of different baits, however, when push comes to shove, it is much easier to catch them with live baits. Minnows, nightcrawlers and leeches are definitely the best live baits for walleye.
While most anglers will just use live baits, many anglers will also target walleye with lures as well. Crankbaits and soft plastics are the best lures for walleye, however, you can catch walleye with a variety of different lures.
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Best Rigs for Walleye
When targeting walleye, there are many different rigs that you can use to catch them. While most anglers will keep it super simple and just use a simple jighead, many anglers will use a variety of rigs such as spinner rigs, 3 way rigs, bottom bouncers, drop shot rigs and many others.
To learn more, take a look at our best rigs for walleye page.
Best Techniques for Walleye
Jigging is by far the most popular technique for walleye fishing, however, you can catch them a variety of different ways. Casting, trolling and drifting are some of the other awesome techniques that anglers use.
To learn more, take a look at our best techniques for walleye page.
Learn More About Walleye
Our walleye fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our walleye fishing website to learn more.
