Leo Lake
Cook County, Minnesota102 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Leo Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 28 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Leo Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 28 ft. Surface area: 102.4 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 16, 2025 caught 3.00 smallmouth bass per gill net at Leo Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–16 inches. DNR survey details →
Leo Lake is a 102-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 28 feet (17-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including green sunfish, rainbow trout, and smallmouth bass. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Leo Lake covers about 100 acres in Cook County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Leo Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Leo Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water15 ft of visibility
- Fishing3 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Leo Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Leo Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Leo Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 15ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Leo Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Leo Lake typically sits around 53°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 69°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 73°F) and coldest in May (about 50°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (50°F) to its warmest (73°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 16 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Leo Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 16, 2025 caught 3.00 smallmouth bass per gill net at Leo Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–16 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Leo Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
12 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-09-16 (Standard Survey).
12 surveys on file · most recent 2025-09-16 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 16.90 | ||
| Green Sunfish | 16.57 | 3–6 in 2025-09-16 | 0.07 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 10.88 | 5–16 in 2025-09-16 | 1.09 lb |
| Brook Trout | 3.27 | 13–14 in 1993-10-18 | 0.74 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Green Sunfish
Smallmouth Bass
Brook Trout
From the 2025-09-16 survey
Leo Lake is a 102-acre lake with a maximum depth of 28.0 ft and located approximately 30 miles north of Grand Marais in Cook County, Minnesota. Access to the lake requires a steep, short carry-down off the Hungry Jack Lake Road. Leo Lake has been managed for stream trout since the 1930's, with rainbow trout stocked…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Leo Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — LeoFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Leo (1831)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — LeoFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — LeoPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
28 ft
Average depth
16.7 ft
Surface area
102 acres
Shoreline
2.1 mi
Littoral zone
37%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,742 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Leo Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Leo Lake in Cook County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Leo Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Leo Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.43 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.07 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Leo Lake
Where is Leo Lake?
- Leo Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Leo Lake?
- Leo Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 28 ft. Surface area: 102.4 acres.
Is Leo Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Leo Lake?
- Leo Lake typically sits around 53°F at the surface in October, from 16 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Leo Lake?
- Leo Lake has a maximum depth of 28 feet and an average depth of 16.7 feet. The lake covers 102.4 acres.
What fish are in Leo Lake?
- Fish species found in Leo Lake include green sunfish, rainbow trout, smallmouth bass. Leo Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Leo Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on September 16, 2025 caught 3.00 smallmouth bass per gill net at Leo Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 5–16 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Leo Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Leo Lake?
- Public access to Leo Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Leo Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
27 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA27 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder