Leora Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69052100
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Leora Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2024 (1,650 fish).
- Leora Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 11,958 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 35 ft; surface area 263 acres, 110 littoral acres, 2.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Cotton; DNR lake number (DOW) 69052100.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/29/1951 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,650 | 110.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,391 | 128.8 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,735 | 109.8 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 1,584 | 105.6 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,598 | 219.4 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 | Minnesota DNR | - On street parking for only a couple of rigs. Potentially dangerous back-in access on heavily traveled county road. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 40.46 | 44 | 0.97 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 6.00 | 30 | 0.11 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 5.20 | 26 | 2.01 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.40 | 17 | 5.23 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.80 | 14 | 0.30 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.40 | 7 | 0.04 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.20 | 6 | 0.53 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.80 | 4 | 0.03 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.20 | 1 | 0.53 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 4.62 | 37 | 0.09 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 2.38 | 19 | 0.17 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.62 | 13 | 0.17 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.62 | 5 | 2.67 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.38 | 3 | 0.17 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.12 | 1 | 0.12 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.12 | 1 | 3.95 |
| Golden shiner | Standard trap nets | 0.12 | 1 | 0.06 |
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.
Leora Lake is a 263-acre lake with 110 (42%) littoral acres and a maximum depth of 35 feet. The lake is located east of Highway 53, near Cotton, MN. Leora Lake has a concrete, back in public access on the south side of the lake directly off of CR #49. Primary management species are Walleye and Largemouth Bass. Walleye fingerlings have been stocked in even years since 2000. Leora was last assessed in 2011. Leora was surveyed during the summer of 2021 to update information about fish populations and to evaluate the success of the Walleye stocking program. Walleye abundance of 5.2 per gillnet lift was up from 2011 (4.0) and average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Walleye average length was 18.1 inches and growth was average when compared to other Duluth Area lakes. The proportion of adult Walleye that exceeded quality size (greater than 15 inches) was 94%, while the proportion that exceeded preferred size (greater than 20 inches) was 10%. Four year-classes were present from 2010 through 2018, with a strong 2016 year-class. One-hundred percent of the Walleyes aged corresponded to stocked year-classes, with the 2016 year-class currently offering very good Walleye angling opportunities in Leora Lake. A total of 44 Largemouth Bass were sampled with electrofishing equipment. The catch rate of Largemouth Bass was 40.5 fish per hour of electrofishing on-time. Largemouth Bass average length was 11.6 inches and growth was below average compared to other Duluth Area lakes. The proportion of adult Largemouth Bass that exceeded quality size (greater than 12 inches) was 53%, while the proportion that exceeded preferred size (greater than 15 inches) was 17%. The proportion that exceeded memorable size (greater than 20 inches) was 3%. Leora also offers quality angling opportunities for Northern Pike. Northern Pike abundance of 3.4 per gillnet lift was down from 2011 (6.5) and average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Average length was 26.7 inches and growth was average compared to other Duluth Area lakes. The proportion of adult Northern Pike that exceeded quality size (greater than 21 inches) was 94%, while the proportion that exceeded preferred size (greater than 28 inches) was 17%. The proportion that exceeded memorable size (greater than 34 inches) was 11%. Panfish in Leora are in average abundance but tend to run small in size. Black Crappie abundance of 2.8 per gillnet lift was up from 2011 (0.7) and was average when compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Black Crappie mean length was 8.0 inches and growth was…
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; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.