Leech Lake

[MUSKY18]

Was reading through the other thread and 10,000's comments about Leech got me to thiniking. What is up with Leech? I remember 25 years ago when I was in high school, we used to load up the boat, drive up to Federal [PoorWordUsage], sleep in the truck and pound the water the next day. Was always a ton of guys out there, and it seemed that Leech held the value of what Mille Lacs does today. What can this be attributed to? Did it get to the point of being over fished? a declining fish population? or the fact that so many horses have been pulled out of other lakes that they have just surpassed Leech and more anglers are fishing these other lakes? Is this just a cycle, and in the future Leech will again return as the king of Mn muskie waters? I realize that Leech is still one of the top muskie waters in the state, but seems it stature has dropped......thoughts????

[setterguy]

The weed lines especially in Portage bay are gone, plain and simple. Locals attribute it to the rusty crayfish that saws the weeds down at the base. There are still a lot of nice fish, but with the recent success of Mille Lacs, and other lakes around Leech, big, bemedji ect., it seems that the lake has a little less pressure than before.

[Professional Edge]

What setterguy said.

I fish Leech almost all year and have noticed a big change in the in the last couple years. Grand Vue Gone....Lots of weeds in Portage Gone two very popular spots that held good numbers of fish. Having said that last year was very weird for me...spots that held fish normally did not have fish on them until late in the year.

Lake can be frustrating.

Keith

[cjac]

It's not a matter of "IF" but rather "WHEN" the lake balances a bit and you guys crack the code on the muskies I believe Leech is going to be great again. Totally different locations for fish, and in turn anglers to relate and adjust to as well. All the muskies didn't just go away!

Until then, maybe just go bass fishing!

Chris

[Professional Edge]

Exactly what I was thinking Chris but I thought it would be a good way to make your post go away by mentioning bass on a musky board.

[MUSKY18]

BASS???? Cjac must have fallen and bumped his head!! LOL

Is two points still a valid muskie spot or have all the weeds been hammered by the crayfish? I was planning on getting back up there this coming year, hopefully find some fish like the good ol days.

[No_Net]

I usally fish portage bay and there aren't many weeds left but the ones that are there usally have fish stacked in them. Also have to watch the electronices more closely for weeds that only come up a few feet off the bottom.

[cjac]

BASS BASS BASS BASS BASS!!!

There I did it! I think it's a blast to fish for other fish and it in turn makes me better at each specific fish, muskie included....

The day I lose sight of fishing being fun, regardless of fish I'm after, I'm having a huge garage sale......

Leech is on my list for this year for sure, both bass and 'skis! Just waiting for an invite from KT....

Chris

[Esox_Magnum]

Last time I was at Leech there was a body floating around someplace, mid to late 70's maybe. Kinda freaks you out when your like 10.

[setterguy]

Do you remember if the guy lived? I just heard a story from a local up there this past fall about a guy that had gotten drunk, tried to swim to shore and he and his wife found the guy naked floating in the middle of the lake, he did end up making it.

[Esox_Magnum]

No it was a Dctor and hid Daughter if memory seves me right. They had already found here and recovered him days after we were there. We were staying on Big Sand I think that year.

[10,000 Casts]

Leech is certainly an interesting lake. Being that last year was my first year fishing the lake hard, it is tough to talk about any patterns over the last decades. But talking to other fisherman in a daily basis helps fight the learing curve a little.

Alot can be said about the rusty crayfish, for people who don't know what they are, they are an avasive species that hitched a ride in someones livewell or baitbucket and decided to take over the lake. The first thing that they do is eat all the normal crayfish then they are said to go after the weeds or other edible things, no they didn't eat all the muskies. I have talked to people that have put an aqua vu down in some areas and have seen them stacked up 10" on the bottom. They are thick in some places! They are definitly a problem.

The weeds in Portage are not intirely gone but they are just about gone. If a guy has good electronics, they could go up there and find deep edges and turns and thats where the fish are. Thats where the inc tournie was won. 3 fish in 2 days? enough said. It just takes some time and homework to find them.

I think that the lake is in a cycle. People have said that years in the past have had more weds than others and I don't think that it's any different now. Agency Bay had a ton of weeds, Walker Bay had some nice beds, Kabakona was pretty good. Shingobee, Boy, Ural and Steamboat had some weeds too. All hold some nice populations of fish and hardly any muskie fisherman.

As far as the rocks go, the best time to hit them is in 3 footers. I tryed them at night a few times last year with verrrry high hopes and didn't boat a fish. Still have to figure that one out. Otherwise, there are alot more rockpiles than are on the map, thats all I am going to say.

People that fish Leech seem to have preconcieved notions that the fish are going to be where they used to be and that isn't the case. The lake if full of Muskies.