Fishing at Leeman Lake, Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Leeman Lake is a Saint Louis County water, in Minnesota. The land about it is rolling bush. With some 115 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. With about 1.8 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. The closest town, Cloquet, is 24 miles away. Minneapolis sits 129 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Leeman Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Saint Louis County cover yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker and rainbow trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Leeman Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 66°F and January near 7°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near late November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Plan any trip to Leeman Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Failing this one, try Moberg Lake, 2 miles away. Treat access at Leeman Lake as something to verify.