Gun Lake (St. Louis County)
St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69048700
DNR records show 2 stocking entries at Gun Lake (St. Louis County) since 2024, most recently lake trout yearlings in 2025 (1,458 fish).
- Gun Lake (St. Louis County) has 2 DNR stocking records across 2 years (2024-2025): lake trout (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is lake trout: 2,670 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 135 ft, mean depth 36 ft; surface area 184 acres, 24 littoral acres, 5.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 16.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: burbot, cisco species, lake trout, smallmouth bass.
- 4 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- St. Louis County, nearest town Crane Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 69048700.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Lake Trout | yearlings | 1,458 | 169.9 |
| 2024 | Lake Trout | yearlings | 1,212 | 130.3 |
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| O | USF | - 80 rod portage from Lac La Croix Lake. |
| O | USF | - PORTAGE TRAIL FROM TESAKER LAKE - 80 RODS |
| O | USF | - PORTAGE TRAIL FROM LITTLE BEARTRACK LAKE 120 RODS |
| O | USF | - PORTAGE TRAIL FROM EUGENE LAKE 85 RODS |
DNR fish survey, 2025
Temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Gun Lake on July 30th, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (i.e., oxythermal habitat) available to Lake Trout, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake (Cisco, also known as 'Tullibee', are also present). During the summer, Lake Trout require a layer of oxythermal habitat that contains water temperatures below 8.8 degrees C (47.8 degrees F) and dissolved oxygen concentrations above 3.0 mg/L. Based on the profile from the deepest basin (maximum sampled depth 111.5 feet), the water temperature decreased below 8.8 degrees C (47.8 degrees F) at 24.3 feet and the dissolved oxygen concentration decreased to 3.0 mg/L at 106.6 feet at the time of sampling. The thickness of this layer of water in the water column was 82.3 feet, indicating that oxythermal habitat was present for Lake Trout. Further, the temperature at which dissolved oxygen decreased to 3.0 mg/L (i.e., TDO3, a single variable to characterize oxythermal habitat) was 4.0 degrees C (39.2 degrees F). TDO3 values cooler than 8.8 degrees C (47.8 degrees F) indicate that oxythermal conditions were suitable for Lake Trout at the time of the survey. This is the first Minnesota Department of Natural Resources temperature and dissolved oxygen survey completed on Gun Lake during the late summer period of maximum oxythermal stress (July 26th to Aug 24th). When inadequate oxythermal habitat is available, Lake Trout are squeezed into unfavorable, warmer water conditions and experience higher levels of stress.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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