Minnesota · Pope County
Leven Lake Fishing guide
Leven Lake covers 282 acres in Pope County, Minnesota, reaching 33 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 9.3 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 16 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
WalleyeFair numbers1.5per gill net20"Typical26"Biggest
Lengths measured · 10 fish
Recent · 2025Lengths measured · 9 fish
2025Only 9 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 1 fish
2025Only 1 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 30 fish
2019Lengths measured · 10 fish
2013Largemouth bassFair numbers38.9per hr (electrofishing)13"Typical17"Biggest
Lengths measured · 73 fish
Recent · 2025Lengths measured · 72 fish
2025Lengths measured · 1 fish
2025Only 1 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 3 fish
2020Only 3 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 77 fish
2019Northern pikeOne of the best around29per gill net19"Typical37"Biggest
Lengths measured · 179 fish
Recent · 2025Lengths measured · 173 fish
2025Lengths measured · 6 fish
2025Only 6 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 14 fish
2020Lengths measured · 141 fish
2019BluegillJust a few7.9per trap net7"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 333 fish
Recent · 2022 + 2023 + 2025Lengths measured · 131 fish
2025Lengths measured · 85 fish
2025Lengths measured · 77 fish
2023Lengths measured · 40 fish
2022CrappieJust a few5.4per trap net9"Typical13"Biggest
Lengths measured · 201 fish
Recent · 2022 + 2023 + 2025Lengths measured · 78 fish
2025Lengths measured · 11 fish
2025Lengths measured · 90 fish
2023Lengths measured · 22 fish
2022Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Leven Lake through the year
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.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.
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.
- Fall
- Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.
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 | Northern pike | Walleye | Largemouth bass |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 37" | 26" | 17" |
| 2020 | 21" | — | 8" |
| 2019 | 31" | 27" | 17" |
| 2013 | 32" | 28" | 18" |
| 2008 | 32" | 28" | 17" |
| 2003 | 27" | 22" | 16" |
| 1998 | 27" | 21" | 14" |
| 1993 | 29" | 28" | 19" |
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:
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Walleye · Live bait
Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler
jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler
Walleye · Trolling
Leadcore Line + Crankbaits
4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Free Rig
Creature bait or magnum finesse worm
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2025 survey
Leven Lake is a 283-acre lake located in northeast Pope County. It is the most upstream basin in a chain of three lakes, which includes Leven, Villard and Amelia. Flowage connections between these systems are non-navigable. An access is located on the southeast corner of the lake. Pope County Judicial Ditch 4 drains into the northeast side of Leven Lake, contributing excessive nutrients and sediment from a predominantly agricultural watershed. Water clarity is variable during summer months in response to algae blooms or aquatic plant growth. Aquatic vegetation can be excessively abundant and hinder watercraft operation at times. Average and maximum depths are 13 and 33 feet, respectively.
Spring trap netting was conducted April 30 to May 2 when panfish were up shallow and vulnerable to capture, and only comparable to other spring targeted panfish surveys. Bluegill abundance (9.3/trap net) was similar to the 2023 targeted panfish survey (8.6/trap net). Growth is similar to other lakes with reduced sunfish bag limits. Most fish were young. The prevalence of young fish led to an overall poor size structure, with a mean length of only 6.2 inches. However, the largest fish sampled was 9.5 inches. Sunfish anglers are reminded that a special regulation was implemented in 2022 that reduced the daily bag limit of sunfish from 20 to 10 to help protect and improve sunfish quality on this lake. For more information regarding the Quality Sunfish Initiative, see the following: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/sunfish/index.html.
Read the full DNR narrative
The Black Crappie catch (7.9/trap net) was lower than the 2023 targeted survey (9.9/trap net), but higher than the catch in 2022 (2.6/trap net). Growth was moderate. Similar to Bluegill, the size structure was poor because of predominately young fish in the system. This led to a mean length of only 9.0 inches, although the largest crappie sampled was 12.5 inches.
While only directly comparable to the 2019 survey because of changes in sampling methodology, the Largemouth Bass population (52.1 bass per hour of electrofishing) was higher than any past survey. Many small fish were present, ranging from 2.6 to 17.2 inches.
Northern Pike continue to be overly abundant (29.0/gill net), with the 2025 survey being the highest on record. Most pike were small (76% under 22 inches; average length=20.3 inches), but the largest pike was 37.0 inches. Anglers are encouraged to harvest small Northern Pike. New Northern Pike regulations were implemented in 2018 to increase size structure. Leven Lake is in the North-Central Zone, where all pike from 22 to 26 inches must be released. Anglers can keep 10 pike, but not more than two can be longer than 26 inches. Northern Pike taken by spearing follow the same rules, except one pike may be between 22 and 26 inches, or two larger than 26 inches. For more information see: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/pike/index.html.
Walleye relative abundance was poor (1.5/gill net), and fish were large (mean length of 21.3 inches), ranging from 16.7 to 26.6 inches. Stocking ceased in 2014 due to consistently poor returns from both fry and fingerling stockings. Natural reproduction or migration appears to sustain a very limited Walleye fishery.
Zebra mussels were first recorded in 2021. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are easily moved from infested to non-infested waters and can negatively affect lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain water from their boat before leaving the access. For more information regarding aquatic invasive species see the following: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquatic/index.html.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Leven Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Leven 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.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Leven Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Leven Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Villard Lake · 544 ac · 1.4 mi
- Amelia Lake · 934 ac · 3.1 mi
- Westport Lake · 203 ac · 4.3 mi
- Maple Lake · 831 ac · 5.4 mi
- Turtle Lake · 218 ac · 6.5 mi
- Union Lake · 107 ac · 6.6 mi
- Lake Reno · 3,809 ac · 6.8 mi
- Ann Lake · 370 ac · 7.8 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Leven Lake?
Leven Lake reaches 33 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 13 ft; about 56% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Leven Lake?
Leven Lake covers 282 acres with about 2.6 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Leven Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Leven Lake average 9.3 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Leven Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Leven Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Leven Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Leven Lake have a public access?
Yes. Leven Lake has one public access site: Leven Lake (trailer launch).
How big do northern pike get in Leven Lake?
The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 37"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1993.
When was Leven Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Leven Lake in 2025, the most recent of 16 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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