Gunn Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31048000
Gunn Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Gunn Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 55 ft, mean depth 17 ft; surface area 382 acres, 142 littoral acres, 5.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 13.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Marcell; DNR lake number (DOW) 31048000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| earthen ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2017
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 39.33 | 59 | 0.61 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 5.08 | 61 | 0.83 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.58 | 43 | 2.73 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 8 | 1.84 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.42 | 5 | 0.10 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 2 | 4.02 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.08 | 1 | 1.43 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 0.08 | 1 | 0.28 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.08 | 1 | 0.99 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 3.75 | 45 | 0.16 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.83 | 10 | 0.36 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 8 | 0.16 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.58 | 7 | 0.22 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 6 | 3.14 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 3 | 0.65 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 3 | 0.21 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.08 | 1 | 0.86 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Gunn Lake is located approximately seven miles east of Marcell, MN and is within the Big Fork River watershed. The 342 acre lake has 142 littoral acres, a 55 foot maximum depth and is lightly developed along the 5.9 mile shoreline. There is an unimproved, state owned public access located on the west central shore. Secchi disk transparency, a standard measure of water clarity, has averaged 12.3 feet over six surveys and ranged from 9.0 - 17.0 feet. The lake has inlets from Charlie and Highland Lakes, and it outlets to Fox Lake and eventually the Rice River. The 2004 Lake Management Plan (LMP) lists Northern Pike as a primary management species due to angler interest and habitat suitability. The lake is also well suited for Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie, and these were listed as secondary species. The LMP goals were to: maintain the Northern Pike gill net catch rate at 4.0/net of which 40% were 21 inches or longer; maintain a Black Crappie trap net catch rate of 2.0/net and maintain a Largemouth Bass electrofishing catch rate of 30/hour. A standard survey was conducted in July 2017 to assess the status and characteristics of the fish population using 12 trap nets and 12 gill nets. Gunn Lake consists of a series of connected basins which were treated separately in surveys prior to 1992 but have since been considered one water body for management purposes. Surveys were conducted in 1992 and 2002. A night electrofishing survey was conducted on June 8 to evaluate the Largemouth Bass population. The Northern Pike gill net catch rate decreased from 5.0/net in 2002 to 3.6/net, which met the lake management goal. The Northern Pike gill net catch rate was within the range typical of lakes with similar habitats in the previous two surveys. Northern Pike from gill nets ranged from 15.9 - 34.1 inches with an average of 22.4 inches. Size structure was moderate as 51% of the Northern Pike from gill nets were greater than 21 inches and 19% were greater than 28 inches. This is the first survey in which Northern Pike greater than 34 inches were sampled. Northern Pike greater than 32 inches were also sampled in 1992 and 2002, showing that Gunn Lake is capable of producing large pike. Anglers are encouraged to release Northern Pike greater than 22 inches to help improve size quality. Growth rates were similar to the statewide average with an average length of 22.8 inches at age-5. Seven consecutive age classes were represented in the sample, ages 2 - 9. The Black Crappie trap net catch rate decreased from 1.8/net in 2002 to 0.8/net, which did not meet the management…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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