Upper Gull Lake
Cass County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 11021800
Upper Gull Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Upper Gull Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 54 ft; surface area 422 acres, 154 littoral acres, 8.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, brown trout, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 8 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Cass County, nearest town Nisswa; DNR lake number (DOW) 11021800.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | At channel narrows on north end of Gull lake off off Co. Rd. 77. - Access is actually on north end of Gull Lake at the channel narrows into Upper Gull. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 21.78 | 196 | 0.09 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 3.11 | 28 | 0.20 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.44 | 13 | 1.01 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.29 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.22 | 11 | 0.43 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 4.53 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 2.20 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.39 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 7.56 | 68 | 3.18 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 2.22 | 20 | 0.26 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 15 | 0.10 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.56 | 14 | 2.04 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.17 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.22 | 11 | 1.10 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.56 | 5 | 4.53 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.56 | 5 | 1.62 |
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.
Upper Gull Lake is a 422-acre lake and is part of the Gull Chain of Lakes near the city of Nisswa in Cass County. Upper Gull can be accessed via navigable channels from Gull, Margaret and Ray Lakes. Largemouth Bass are the primary management species. Northern Pike, Black Crappie, and Bluegill are secondary management species. A 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 June 2025 to assess fish populations and provide angler information. Largemouth Bass catches (0.6 per gill net) are up from the previous surveys and were the highest recorded catch for the lake. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 13.4 to 16.0 inches with an average length of 14.4 inches. Northern Pike numbers (7.6 per gill net) are up from the previous surveys with fish up to 35.2 inches captured. Anglers should have good opportunities to harvest fish with 91 percent of the fish below the 30 to 40 inch protected slot. Releasing larger Pike is encouraged to help create more opportunities for trophy fish. Walleye gill net numbers (0.6 per net) are down from the previous survey with lengths ranging from 20.6 to 24.8 inches. Walleyes are not stocked into Upper Gull however they are stocked into connected Gull Lake every year. While there are not large numbers of Walleye in Upper Gull, the few available to anglers are of quality size. Black Crappie numbers are up from previous surveys in trap nets (1.2 per net) and are down in gill nets (1.4 per net). With both gears combined 54% measured 8 inches or larger and 4% measured 10 inches or larger. Bluegill numbers (21.8 per trap net) are down from previous surveys with 17% at least 7 inches in length. Anglers targeting Panfish should expect action and an opportunity for harvest, not trophy fish. Yellow Perch numbers (1.7 per gill net) are down from previous surveys and had a maximum length of 6.8 inches. Anglers might not have much interest in angling for Yellow Perch however, they are important prey species for gamefish. Three Brown Trout were sampled in gill nets and ranged in length from 12.8 to 19.7 inches. These Trout came from Stoney Brook, a designated Trout stream, which flows into Upper Gull. While rare, on occasion Brown Trout have been sampled in past surveys and anglers have reported catching them in the winter. Other species sampled in the latest survey include Bowfin (Dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock…
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; 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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