Leech Lake — Upsize the Minnow, Downsize the Jig, Beat the Deer Crowd

There’s a guy at every bait shop counter who reaches past the regular minnows and asks for “the big ones” like he’s ordering a steak. I’ve always assumed that guy was showing off. According to this week’s Leech note, that guy might just be right.

Gill’s Oct. 22 weekly is up on the Leech Lake Tourism site. A lot of it matches the fall plan we’ve been passing along all month. But the tip changed, and the calendar did too, so here’s the update.

This week’s new idea: bigger minnow, same little jig

The tip is short: “Go big on the minnow.” The reasoning is that late-fall walleyes are fattening up before winter and don’t mind a bigger meal. Keep the jig small and put a larger minnow on it.

There’s a fix built in too. If fish are tapping it and you keep missing them, Gill suggests going a little bigger on the minnow and slowing down. That’s the opposite of what my hands want to do. When I miss a fish, I start jigging like I’m trying to start a lawnmower. Apparently the move is to calm down.

Walleye spots haven’t changed

• Start on rock and on points the wind is hitting, somewhere in the 10 to 15 foot range.
• Gill names three spots that have held up all fall: the Annex, Bear Island, and Goose Island.
• Shallower rock is worth checking when baitfish push up onto structure.
• Crankbaits still work if you’d rather cover water than sit on one spot.
• Where perch are around, a run along the reeds is worth your time.

Everybody else on the lake

• Crappies: sliding out and suspending in deeper water as it cools. Weedline gone quiet? Keep the electronics on and try a bit deeper.
• Perch: along weed edges in about 5 to 9 feet.
• Bluegills: sticking to whatever healthy green weeds are left.
• Pike: still hitting hard where wind is pounding the weed edges. Gill lists spoons and spinnerbaits.
• Bass: hiding in the densest green weeds still standing.
• Muskies: bucktails are still moving fish on shallow rock and weedlines. For the biggest fish, his pick is big rubber and a slow roll. Make long casts, keep the retrieve steady, and have the net ready.

Why the lake is a little busier than you’d expect

Normally by late October it’s you, a couple of loons that haven’t left yet, and the guy at the landing who’s had the same truck since the Clinton years. This year the warm days have hung on, and Gill says more people than usual are still fishing this late. The cooling water is what’s keeping the walleye bite going, and the nice weather is what’s keeping people on the lake. If you go, dress in layers. Midday is mild, but the start and end of the day still feel like late October.

Something to plan around: firearms deer season opens Nov. 7–8, and Gill expects the Leech Lake area to fill up with hunters. Our guess, not his: the landings stay quiet and the gas stations and cafés get busy.

Honestly, this is the time of year the lake pays you back for all the windy, crowded weekends in July. Get out there while you still can.

Fine print

This is a general weekly roundup from the tourism bureau’s fishing writer. It isn’t a log from one trip. No water temperatures, fish counts, or sizes were given, and we didn’t add any. The Oct. 22 date matters, because a cold front was forecast to move through on Oct. 24 and cool things off. Call a local shop before you go. Gill lists Reed’s Sporting Goods at (218) 547-1505.

Sources

• Gill, “Leech Lake Fishing Report — October 22, 2026,” Leech Lake Tourism Bureau
• MN Fish On Conditions, Oct. 22–28, 2026 (NWS summary) (for the weather note only)