Leech Lake
Cass County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 11020300
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Leech Lake since 2016, most recently muskellunge fingerlings in 2025 (610 fish).
- Leech Lake has 7 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2025): muskellunge (4), lake whitefish (2), walleye (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 7,509,090 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 150 ft, mean depth 18 ft; surface area 103,444 acres, 57,994 littoral acres, 194.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, burbot, hybrid sunfish, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, and 6 more.
- 10 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Cass County, nearest town Walker; DNR lake number (DOW) 11020300.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 610 | 158.9 |
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 7,509,090 | 64.1 |
| 2023 | Lake Whitefish3 | fingerlings | 29,884 | 420.9 |
| 2021 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 600 | 85.7 |
| 2017 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 603 | 118.2 |
| 2017 | Muskellunge | fry | 112,878 | 4.6 |
| 2016 | Lake Whitefish3 | fingerlings | 128,030 | 967.4 |
3 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | USF | Stony Point |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Whipholt |
| concrete ramp | Army Corps of Engineers | Federal Dam |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Point View |
| earthen ramp | Minnesota DNR | Brevik |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Erickson Landing |
| concrete ramp | city | Walker City Park |
| asphalt ramp | Minnesota DNR | MN Dot Access - Shingobee Bay |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | - Battle Point T143 R29 S36 |
| concrete ramp | Army Corps of Engineers | - Leech Lake River (upper south shore) T144 R28 S33 |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMS | Survey seining | 2053.30 | 20,533 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Survey seining | 153.50 | 1,535 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Survey seining | 71.20 | 712 | 0.00 |
| Spotfin shiner | Survey seining | 13.20 | 132 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Survey seining | 9.30 | 93 | 0.00 |
| Logperch | Survey seining | 6.20 | 62 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Survey seining | 4.80 | 48 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | Survey seining | 1.30 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trawling | 950.30 | 19,006 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Standard trawling | 55.45 | 1,109 | 0.00 |
| Logperch | Standard trawling | 27.95 | 559 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Standard trawling | 10.45 | 209 | 0.00 |
| Spottail shiner | Standard trawling | 9.60 | 192 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trawling | 9.30 | 186 | 0.00 |
| MMS | Standard trawling | 5.60 | 112 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trawling | 4.75 | 95 | 0.02 |
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 16.36 | 60 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Fall electrofishing | 1.91 | 7 | 0.34 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 13.53 | 487 | 0.25 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 5.78 | 208 | 2.15 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.31 | 119 | 2.31 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 2.19 | 79 | 0.43 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.81 | 65 | 1.87 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.53 | 55 | 0.69 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 1.28 | 46 | 0.22 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.08 | 39 | 0.15 |
| Muskellunge | Musky trap nets | 0.22 | 29 | 23.31 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Leech Lake is the third largest lake entirely within the boundaries of Minnesota and has approximately 112,000 surface acres. The lake has an irregular shape with a variety of large and small bays. The deepest area of the lake is in Walker Bay where depths approach 160 feet. Approximately 80% of the lake is less than 35 feet deep. Walleye, Northern Pike, and Muskellunge are the primary predator species, and Yellow Perch and Tullibee (Cisco) serve as the principal forage base. Leech Lake is well known among anglers as a tremendous multi-species fishery, and includes excellent angling opportunities for Walleye, Yellow Perch, Northern Pike, Muskellunge, Eelpout (Burbot), Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Cisco (Tullibee), Sunfish, and Black Crappie. Starting in June of 2025, a group of 16 individuals, known as the Leech Lake Fisheries Input Group (LLFIG) met monthly through December to update the Leech Lake Fisheries Management Plan. The LLFIG represents local and statewide interests in Fisheries Management on Leech Lake. The group was led by staff from the MN DNR Walker Fisheries Office. The Leech Lake Fisheries Management Plan synthesizes sampling data from the Large Lake Program to outline objectives and actions to achieve fish resource goals. The current Walleye regulation on Leech Lake is a 4 fish limit with no more than 1 Walleye over 20" allowed in possession which went into effect in 2019. This regulation change was made with the objective to bring down the number of female spawners into the optimal reproductive range for the lake and provide additional harvest opportunity to anglers. It is also intended to provide relief to the prey base and allow time for the Yellow Perch population to recover following a decade of repressed abundance. The regulation is evaluated annually and adjustments will be made based on management plan objectives and action items. A Black Crappie possession limit of 5 and Sunfish possession limit of 5 went into effect in 2021 as part of the statewide Quality Panfish Initiative. This regulation will be evaluated utilizing future creel surveys and targeted spring sampling. The regulations are intended to reduce exploitation and maintain quality size structure of both species. Updates on specific species are provided below: Walleye: Since standardized sampling began in 1983, Walleye gill net catch rates have ranged from 4.6 fish/net (1993) to 13.4 fish/net (1988). The 2025 catch rate was 5.8 fish/net. Walleye abundance is being driven by the historically large 2021-year class, now measuring 17 - 21 inches, and the 2023-year…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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