Fishing in Leech Lake

Like Mille Lacs, Leech Lake near the town of Walker is a fine walleye fishery, in terms of numbers of fish and their size. Walleye fishing is best in the early summer and again in the fall, but savvy anglers are able to find them in deeper waters all summer long.

This huge, many-armed lake, however, is perhaps most famous for its muskie fishing. In the 1950s, during a period of warm, stagnant summer weather, the lake’s muskies went on a “rampage.” Anglers caught so many that they filled wheelbarrows. Black-and-white photos from the era show anglers standing next to racks bulging with dozens of large muskies.

The lake’s reputation continues. In 1996, an Iowa angler caught a muskie weighing 52 pounds, the state’s largest in several decades. Fish in excess of 40 inches are not uncommon. Muskies bite all summer, but the prime angling occurs in September and October, when the fish aggressively chase bait. Popular lures are bucktails, jerkbaits, and topwater plugs.