Leo Lake

Leo Lake earns an A — water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate among the best monitored waters in Cook County. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Trophically, Leo Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. Leo Lake reaches 28 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. Leo Lake covers 102 acres alongside 2.1 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Leo Lake ranks 9 of 128 in Cook County, putting it in the upper tier of locally monitored lakes.

No invasive species are currently listed at Leo Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery is bass-led, with 3 documented species across the lake's records. A documented public access point at Leo Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.