Greenleaf Lake

How big is Greenleaf Lake?

How deep is Greenleaf Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Greenleaf Lake?

What are the closest cities to Greenleaf Lake?

Are there topographical lake maps available Greenleaf Lake?

We have an topograpical map for online viewing near the top of this page. Lake-Link Pro users can download an print a topograpical map of Greenleaf Lake (.pdf format) along with 2,700 more lake maps. For more information on all the benefits of Lake-Link Pro click here.

Greenleaf Lake

Are there boat launches on Greenleaf Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Greenleaf Lake?

Introduction
Greenleaf Lake is a 302 acre lake located approximately 3.5 miles southwest of the town of Montgomery in Le Sueur County. The DNR-owned public access is located on the northeast shore off of County Road 140. It has a maximum depth of 19 feet, with approximately 87% of the lake classified as littoral area. It is placed in Lake Class 38, which includes other Waterville Area lakes such as Ballantyne Lake (Blue Earth County), Bass Lake (Faribault County), Hunt Lake (Rice County), and Horseshoe Lake (Le Sueur County). Greenleaf Lake is primarily managed for Bluegill and Walleye and secondarily for Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass. The management plan calls for stocking Walleye fry at a rate of 1,000 fish/littoral acre in odd years. Recent stocking events include a mix of fry, fingerlings, yearlings, and adults in 2011 and fry only in 2013 and 2015. Periodic winterkills were common before the installation of an aerator in 1983. Since that time, winterkills have not been a factor. High levels of phosphorus have contributed to poor water quality and extensive algae blooms that result in poor water quality. The lack of aquatic vegetation remains a challenge for managing stable game fish populations. Greenleaf Lake was surveyed the week of June 27, 2016 as part of a regular monitoring program conducted by the Minnesota DNR. This survey was intended to assess the fish community by deploying 6 gill nets and 7 trap nets, as well as recording water quality parameters.


Bluegill
A total of 67 Bluegills were sampled with trap nets for a catch rate of 9.6/net. Since 1984, catch rates have varied from 3.3/net in 1987 to 142.0/net in 2011 with an average of 34.2/net. Lengths ranged from 2.8 to 7.9 inches with an average of 3.9 inches. Fish ranged from 1 to 4 years old with 4 year-classes present. The 1 year old year-class accounted for approximately 88% of the sample. The lack of larger and older fish was concerning but the presence of a large age-1 year-class suggests that the Bluegill population will recover without interference.

Walleye
A total of 26 Walleyes were sampled with gill nets for a catch rate of 4.3/net. Walleye numbers have increased in recent years and this represents the highest catch rate since 1984. Before 2013, catch rates averaged just 1.0/net. Lengths ranged from 10.1 to 23.1 inches with an average of 17.4 inches. Seven additional Walleyes ranging from 9.8 to 11.7 inches were sampled with trap nets. Fish from both gears ranged from 1 to 7 years old with 4 year-classes present. On average, fish reached 15.0 inches around 2 years old, indicating fast growth relative to other area lakes. Collectively, the 2013 and 2015 year-classes that represent fry-stocked years comprised 94% of the sample. Overall, fry stocking events in 2013 and 2015 appeared to be responsible for the increase in Walleye numbers in recent years.

Black Crappie
Black Crappie numbers reached an all-time low in 2016 with 5 fish sampled with gill nets for a catch rate of 0.8/net. Since 1984, catch rates have been erratic with 4 samples below 5.0/net and 4 samples above 40.0/net with an overall average of 28.7/net. Black Crappie populations are notoriously unstable and the wide range in catch rates collected from Greenleaf was considered typical. One 13.0 inch fish was 5 years old, indicating fast growth potential. That potential coupled with the displayed resilience in past surveys, suggests that the Black Crappie population will rebound without supplementation.

Largemouth Bass
A boat electrofishing sample targeting Largemouth Bass was postponed until 2017 due to time constraints. Despite their ability to avoid capture in net gears, a total of 39 Largemouth Bass were sampled with gill and trap nets in 2016. Lengths ranged from 5.0 to 20.6 inches with an average of 10.0 inches. Fish from both gears ranged from 1 to 15 years old with 4 year-classes present. Only one fish was older than 3 years old. The electrofishing sample scheduled for 2017 will more effectively sample the Largemouth Bass population and likely provide a larger sample size to analyze.

Yellow Perch
Yellow Perch were the most common non-bullhead species sampled with gill nets in 2016. A total of 59 fish ranging from 4.6 to 9.6 inches were sampled for a catch rate of 9.9/net. Since 1984, Yellow Perch numbers have been unstable with 5 samples falling below 1.0/net and 5 samples exceeding 9.0/net with an overall average of 7.3/net. An additional 52 fish ranging from 4.2 to 6.2 inches were sampled with trap nets for a catch rate of 7.3/net. Yellow Perch remained an important prey species in Greenleaf Lake in 2016.


Black Bullhead
Black Bullheads dominated the gill and trap net catches in 2016. A total of 1,619 were sampled with gill nets for a catch rate of 269.8/net. Since 1984, catch rates have varied from 8.0/net in 1994 to 274.0/net in 1985 with an average of 103.1/net. Lengths ranged from 4.5 to 14.4 inches with an average of 7.2 inches. Black Bullheads thrive in unstable and hypereutrophic systems like Greenleaf Lake. Even with the aerator, the fish community will likely remain dominated by tolerant species such as Black Bullheads and Common Carp.

Common Carp
Common Carp were the second most abundant species in the gill nets. A total of 31 fish ranging from 7.5 to 26.5 inches were sampled for a catch rate of 5.2/net. Since 1984, catch rates have varied from 0.0/net in 1985 to 48.3/net in 2006 with an average of 13.0/net. Like Black Bullheads, Common Carp are adept at surviving in lakes like Greenleaf. To demonstrate this point, approximately 80% of the total weight of fish sampled with gill nets was Black Bullheads and Common Carp. Unfortunately efforts to reduce populations of Common Carp and Black Bullhead have largely been unsuccessful in lakes similar to Greenleaf. It is also possible that aeration allows them to remain at high numbers when they would otherwise suffer high losses during winterkills.

Other Species
The only other species sampled in 2016 was White Sucker.

Anglers can play an important role in maintaining or improving a fish population by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest allows for the harvest of smaller fish for consumption, while encouraging the release of medium to large fish that may contribute to natural recruitment. This practice helps maintain balance in the fish community and provides anglers the opportunity to catch more and larger fish in the future. Additionally, smaller fish often taste better and have fewer contaminants than larger, older fish from the same water body.

Shoreline property owners also play an important role in the overall health of an aquatic ecosystem, including the fish population. Natural shorelines, including vegetation, woody debris, and bottom substrates, provide valuable habitat for fish and wildlife, help maintain water quality, and reduce bank erosion. By leaving natural shorelines unaltered or restoring them to natural conditions, shoreline property owners are doing their part to maintain or improve a healthy ecosystem in the lake and protect the resource for future generations.

-Sky Wigen, Fisheries Specialist

What is the average air temp for Greenleaf Lake?

Are there any state parks near Greenleaf Lake?