Love Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 18038800
Love Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Love Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 27 ft; surface area 79 acres, 63 littoral acres, 1.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, and 2 more.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Crow Wing County, nearest town Nisswa; DNR lake number (DOW) 18038800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 20.83 | 125 | 0.15 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.83 | 11 | 0.27 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.50 | 9 | 0.29 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.17 | 7 | 0.97 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.17 | 7 | 1.13 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.83 | 5 | 5.16 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.11 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 5.73 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 18.00 | 54 | 1.64 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 8.33 | 25 | 0.25 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 5.33 | 16 | 0.21 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 8 | 0.29 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 6 | 0.77 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 5 | 0.62 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 4 | 0.44 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 2 | 4.98 |
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.
Love is a small 78 acre lake that can be accessed through a channel from Gull Lake. The lake is heavily developed and has a campground with a marina on it, leading to plenty of traffic despite its smaller size. The lake received decent fishing pressure during the week of the survey, with several boats fishing at the lake each day during the survey. Northern Pike is the primary management species, and a special regulation was enacted in 2024 to try to achieve our management objective on the Gull Chain of lakes. The special regulation requires the immediate release of all Northern Pike between 30 and 40 inches, with a possession limit of two fish and only one allowed over 40 inches. A standard survey using gill nets and trap nets was conducted in 2025 to assess fish populations and provide angler information. The only fish that were caught in any real numbers were Northern Pike (18.0/gill net) and Bluegill (20.8/trap net). Northern Pike ranged from 11.5 to 32.3 inches with an average of 19.0 inches. Anglers can expect plenty of action with Northern Pike on Love Lake and will have the opportunity to harvest since 98% were below the protected slot. Bluegills ranged from 3.0 to 8.6 inches with an average of 5.9 inches. Bluegills at least 7 inches in length accounted for 27% of the catch. Good angling opportunities for moderate-sized Bluegill appear to exist given the abundance and size structure. Anglers may catch the occasional Walleye while targeting other species. The few Walleyes sampled were large and ranged from 18.0 to 27.8 inches. Other fish captured included Black Bullhead, Black Crappie, Bowfin (Dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Yellow Bullhead and Yellow Perch.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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