What you need to know about fishing Leech Lake

Leech Lake has more than 103,000 surface acres of water in north central Minnesota and is regarded as a top fishing lake in the State. This Cass County giant has a max depth of approximately 150 feet and a mean depth of 18 feet. Using a sonar unit to identify differences in bottom types is important for eliminating dead water while fishing since a relatively small amount of the lake has submerged plants and fish movements are largely based on bottom type. Sand and muck make up a large portion of the lake in the shallow bays found on the north and east side of the lake while some pockets of vegetation can be found in sheltered bays. Walleyes will seek out shallow gravel and other hard substrates for spawning in the spring before moving to rocky reefs and deeper gravel areas in the summer months like those found in Walker Bay. Bottom bouncers and Lindy Rigs are great choices for trolling walleyes along weed edges, wind-swept points, and reefs. Zebra mussels were confirmed in the lake in 2016 by the Minnesota DNR so this already clear water body will continue to become clearer.