Minnesota Lake Depths
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Leech Lake (Kabekona Bay)

Cass County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey
95ft Max
depth
962 acres 6 contours
Paddling Index44ModestMedium confidencewooded shoreline
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Leech Lake (Kabekona Bay) is mapped to a depth of 95 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 962 acres in Cass County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1957.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
95 ft
Survey year
1957
Surface area
962 acres
Shoreline
6.31 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation
1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details6 contours
Contour depths
0–95 ft
Recorded point soundings
95 ft
Compare with another lake
Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MN DNR Lake Bathymetric Contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

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Map details & sources4 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates
47.13604, -94.65078
MN DNR lake ID
11020302
Vertical exaggeration
1.4×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.1 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25
44 / 100ModestData confidence: Medium

Leech Lake (Kabekona Bay) has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, notable open-water exposure, nearby higher-volume roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingVery Good29.8 of 4373% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (26% forest, 46% wetland; 19% developed)
Geometric wind exposureMixed8.8 of 36mean fetch 2,486 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · long fetch in some directions
Motor & speed rulesNot modeled—Minnesota’s lake-by-lake motor, speed and no-wake rules are mostly county and city ordinances, not map data, so they are not part of the Minnesota index. Check local signage and ordinances before going out.
Public accessNot listed—No public access site of this lake’s own in the MN DNR water access and fishing site records. Private, commercial and informal launches are not all in these records, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolationMixed5.2 of 21nearby higher-volume roads · 5 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 5,235 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity
Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Aquatic vegetation
Low — approximately 1% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity
Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential
High — 26% forest and 46% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public land-cover, access and traffic-count data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights for Minnesota lakes: natural setting 35%, geometric wind exposure 29%, public access 18%, road isolation 18%. Motor, speed and no-wake rules are not modeled for Minnesota, and traffic counts cover state, county and some city roads but not township roads. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Minnesota scores are relative to other Minnesota lakes and are not directly comparable with Paddling Index scores on our sister sites, which use different data sources, some with a watercraft-rules component. Sources: MN DNR lake bathymetry outline, USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021) and MnDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (counts 2023–2025). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys & active stocking

27 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colors, not photographs (provenance).

White Sucker
Hybrid Sunfish
Golden Shiner
Logperch
Bluntnose Minnow
Mottled Sculpin
Spotfin Shiner
Spottail Shiner
Tadpole Madtom
Iowa Darter
Johnny Darter
Mimic Shiner
Compiled from Minnesota DNR fishery surveys and Minnesota DNR stockings within the last 10 years. Silhouettes are stylized and scaled to typical adult sizes relative to one another. Presence is not a promise — fishing isn’t a sure thing.

Fishery

surveyed 2025
46,085Fish sampled
28Species

Gamefish Walleye 317 · Smallmouth Bass 290 · Largemouth Bass 121 · Northern Pike 121

Panfish Yellow Perch 21,028 · Bluegill 137 · Rock Bass 49

All survey species27 species

Gamefish

Walleye317 caught · to 26″
Smallmouth Bass290 caught · to 16″
Largemouth Bass121 caught · to 10″
Northern Pike121 caught · to 31″
Muskellunge29 caught · to 50″
Bowfin2 caught · to 21″

Panfish

Yellow Perch21,028 caught · to 12″
Bluegill137 caught · to 8″
Rock Bass49 caught · to 10″
Pumpkinseed32 caught · to 8″
Black Crappie15 caught · to 12″
Hybrid Sunfish2 caught · to 8″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead55 caught · to 15″
Brown Bullhead17 caught · to 14″

Forage & nongame

Mimic Shiner20,645 caught · to 2″
Bluntnose Minnow1,821 caught · to 3″
Logperch621 caught · to 4″
Iowa Darter209 caught · to 2″
Spottail Shiner204 caught · to 4″
Spotfin Shiner133 caught · to 3″
Cisco79 caught · to 16″
White Sucker77 caught · to 20″
Johnny Darter55 caught · to 2″
Tadpole Madtom21 caught · to 2″
Golden Shiner2 caught · to 3″
Lake Whitefish1 caught · to 3″
Mottled Sculpin1 caught · to 2″
Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey of the whole lake (DOW 11020300), which includes this basin (LakeFinder).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 2016–2025

Fish the Minnesota DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.

Walleye7,509,090 stocked · 2025
Muskellunge114,691 stocked · 2017–2025 · 4 plantings
Lake Whitefish157,914 stocked · 2016–2023 · 2 plantings
Source: Minnesota DNR LakeFinder stocking report for the whole lake (DOW 11020300). LakeFinder lists the last 10 years of stocking only.

Infested waters listing

3 confirmed

Mussels & snails

Plants & algae

What does the infested waters list mean?

The Minnesota DNR lists a lake, river, pond or wetland as infested when it contains an aquatic invasive species that could spread to other waters, or when it is connected to a water where one is present. Activities such as bait harvest and water use are managed differently on infested waters. Check the current list before moving water, bait or equipment.

Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. List of Infested Waters, September 9, 2026. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/infested.html

Quick answers

Leech Lake (Kabekona Bay) — common questions

How deep is Leech Lake (Kabekona Bay)?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Leech Lake (Kabekona Bay) is 95 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Leech Lake (Kabekona Bay)?

Leech Lake (Kabekona Bay) covers about 962 acres in Cass County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Leech Lake (Kabekona Bay)?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include lake whitefish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye. The page lists all 27 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Leech Lake (Kabekona Bay)?

No public launch for Leech Lake (Kabekona Bay) appears in the Minnesota DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- private and commercial launches are not in that source.