Minnesota · Becker County

Leif Lake Fishing guide

Leif Lake sits in Becker County, Minnesota, and covers 521 acres, reaching 26 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 6.3 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 10 times, most recently in 2023, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 26 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface521 ac

Max depth26 ft

Mean13 ft

Clarity6.3 ft

Littoral61%

Surveyed2023

How to fish Leif Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds.
Early summer: Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
Summer: Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure. With 61% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
Fall: Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.

Northern pike

Spring: Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth.
Early summer: Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
Summer: Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. With 61% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
Fall: Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.

Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Walleye	Northern pike	Largemouth bass
2023	27"	36"	16"
2018	27"	33"	16"
2013	25"	29"	19"
2008	26"	30"	19"
2003	26"	31"	14"
1998	27"	29"	13"
1993	28"	29"	18"

Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.

Suggested tackle

What to bring

Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:

Walleye · Live bait

Slip Bobber + Leech

jumbo or large leech

4–20 ftdead slow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Trolling

Snap Weights + Stickbaits

4–5" suspending or slow-floating stickbait

10–35 fttrolling

Shop trolling stickbaits →

Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead

3–25 ftmoderate

Shop paddletail swimbaits →

Northern pike · Muskie & pike

Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)

10" soft rubber body bait

3–25 ftslow

Shop musky rubber →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

Shop plastic worms →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Wacky-Rigged Stickworm

5" stickworm

1–12 ftdead slowweedless

Shop stickworms →

Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DNR stocking records

Stocking history

Year	Species	Stocked
2025	Walleye	2,754 fingerlings · 11 yearlings · 1,643 adults
2023	Walleye	7,419 fingerlings · 360 yearlings
2021	Walleye	190 fingerlings · 3,123 adults
2019	Walleye	11,132 fingerlings
2017	Walleye	962 fingerlings · 280 yearlings · 422 adults
2016	Walleye	2,591 fingerlings · 198 yearlings · 168 adults

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2023 survey

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Leif Lake was conducted on August 30-31, 2023, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at fourteen sampling stations, but two stations were sampled from the boat due soft sediments and dense vegetation. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample nine stations, a 15-foot seine was used at two stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at three stations. Nearshore sampling captured twenty species of fish including seven species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Mimic Shiner, Pugnose Shiner, and Rock Bass) and one that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Green Sunfish).

The nearshore data were combined with gill net and trap net data from an August 2023 survey to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead and Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website.

Read the full DNR narrative

Results from this survey indicate that the fish community in Leif Lake is healthy as indicated by an FIBI score above the impairment threshold determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous survey findings, which indicated that Leif Lake was fully supporting aquatic life use. These results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Otter Tail River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Leif Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Leif Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.

Open the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report

Becker County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Leif Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Leif Lake depth map

Leif Lake depth contour map, Becker County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 26 ft from Minnesota DNR bathymetry, free to save or print. The live map adds ranked spots and conditions on the same contours.

Within 30 miles

Nearby lakes

Little Cormorant Lake · 1,067 ac · 1.6 mi
Big Cormorant Lake · 3,657 ac · 2.4 mi
Marshall Lake · 191 ac · 3.1 mi
Stakke Lake · 497 ac · 3.9 mi
Middle Cormorant Lake · 373 ac · 4.1 mi
Maud Lake · 517 ac · 4.2 mi
Upper Cormorant Lake · 974 ac · 4.3 mi
Boyer Lake · 438 ac · 5 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Leif Lake?

Leif Lake reaches 26 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 13 ft; about 61% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Leif Lake?

Leif Lake covers 521 acres with about 11.3 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Leif Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Leif Lake average 6.3 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Leif Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2023) record walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.

Is Leif Lake stocked?

Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2016.

Does Leif Lake have a public access?

Yes. Leif Lake has one public access site: Leif Lake (trailer launch).

How big do walleye get in Leif Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 27"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1993.

When was Leif Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Leif Lake in 2023, the most recent of 10 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Leif Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Leif Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report