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Leech Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Minnesota's third-largest: walleye reefs, muskie legend and Chippewa National Forest wild.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
80 cfs
Air / High
80 / 80 F
Wind
N 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 05338500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Leech Lake offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The river is running 80 cfs, on the rise. Today brings clear skies, wind N around 6 mph, falling pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 80. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeExcellent

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perchGood

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Similar at 83 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from SNAKE RIVER NEAR PINE CITY, MN.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 05338500.

71829380 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp80 F
High / Low80 / 63 F
WindN 6-8 mph
Pressure1011.2 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain5% cloud, 16%
Sunrise / Sunset06:37 / 19:44
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 80/63 F, wind 14 mph, rain 16%

Fair or better. A 14 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Leech Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Leech Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Leech Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 87 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 84 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 83 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Minnesota requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Walleye protective slots on Leech: check current MN DNR sheet. Muskie 54-inch minimum.

Access

Walker City Park, Federal Dam, Whipholt ramps among dozens; resorts rent everything.

About this water

111,500 acres, Cass County, MN. Minnesota's third-largest lake, Chippewa National Forest.

Fishing Leech Lake: the full guide

The complete northern lake

Leech does everything: walleye on wind-blown reefs and cabbage (a top-tier fishery year in, year out), a muskie population famous for the 1955 "muskie rampage," jumbo perch through the ice and largemouth in the slop bays nobody fishes. Walker's resorts and launches make the big water accessible.

Walker Bay and the walleye chase

Leech's walleye rotate a famous circuit: spring rivers and shoreline gravel, June on the big flats (Sugar Point, Pine Point), summer suspended over Walker Bay's 100-ft basin chasing tulibee, fall stacking the steep breaks. Leeches under slip bobbers are the lake's namesake bait for a reason.

Muskie riots

Mid-summer brings the phenomenon that made Leech famous: muskie feeding windows when multiple 50-inch fish rise in an afternoon. Federal Dam's flats and the weed edges of Portage Bay host the surface riots; locals watch the solunar peaks religiously: our dial panel exists for lakes like this.

Common questions

When is the Leech muskie window?

Mid-June through September, with the July full moons legendary. Cloudy, warm, pre-front afternoons produce the multi-fish flurries.

Federal Dam and the eater factory

Leech's Federal Dam corridor concentrates the everyman fishery: walleye stacking the current-touched flats (a shore-fishing rarity in big-lake Minnesota), jumbo perch through the ice, and the resort fleet's daily eater-walleye runs to Sugar Bar and Annex. The lake's protected slot keeps the trophy class swimming while the frying pan stays true: management that visibly works.

Is fishing good at Leech Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Saint Croix River26 miGrindstone Lake33 miMille Lacs Lake50 miLake Minnetonka58 miKinnickinnic River59 miLake Waconia66 mi
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