Minnesota fishing guide Brian Brosdahl of Bro’s Guide Service gives his latest Leech Lake fishing report on January 21st, 2025.
Leech Lake Fishing Report: 1-21-25
We’ve had some really cold weather the past week. Overall the ice conditions are really good. Most lakes have good road systems. Check with the resorts before you go out. Anglers should pay attention to the ridges that have been forming. Do not drive your vehicle across any ridges, because the ice will be unsafe.
Perch: Leech Lake Fishing Report
The jumbo perch are starting to bite on Leech Lake, Winnie, and Cass Lake. They can also be caught on the surrounding area lakes. The shallow water perch bite has really slowed down and the perch have moved out to deeper water. Look for jumbo perch on the edges of the humps on the main lake.
We’ve been using a couple different Northland Fishing Tackle spoons to catch them. The New Northland Thumper Spoon has been really good. The best colors have been blue racecar and purple racecar. The flashier colors have been best. The color glow pink tiger is also catching a lot of fish.
Tip these spoons with either a minnow head or wax worms and fish them near the bottom. Dead sticks are also producing plenty of jumbo perch.
Walleye: Leech Lake Fishing Report
The walleye bite has been incredibly tough on Leech and the surrounding area lakes. The day time bite is nonexistent. The walleyes that are being caught are biting after dark throughout the night. If you want to target walleyes plan on fishing late into the night.
Some fish can be caught on spoons tipped with minnow heads or on set lines with live fathead minnows or shiners.
Panfish
The panfish bite has been excellent on most of the lakes in the area. Crappies and bluegills can be caught on small spoons and jigs tipped with wax worms. These fish have moved out a bit deeper. Look for them in the moderate depth basins.
