Lake Leander Fishing in Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Minnesota holds Lake Leander, in Saint Louis County. This is lake country bush country. The water covers around 250 acres, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. The whole outline is near 2.9 miles, and most of it is walkable. Few waters listed in Saint Louis County are bigger. Mountain Iron lies 12 miles from the water. It is 169 miles to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lake Leander

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Saint Louis County records list yellow perch, northern pike and white sucker among the fish reported. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Lake Leander the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 65°F and January at 5°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. On average, late April opens the water and late November closes it again. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. It holds true on Lake Leander more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Beaver Lake is 0.8 miles distant. Where Lake Leander is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.