Gun

Fall night electrofishing was conducted on 9/17/2025 to monitor the success of Walleye fry stocking on Gun Lake. Walleye fry were stocked annually from 2011 to 2016, however these stocking events resulted in poor year class strength indexes. Due to poor fry survival and recruitment, annual fingerling stocking resumed from 2017 to 2024. Walleye fry were stocked in 2025 instead of fingerlings due to budget limitations, expectations of finglerling shortfall, and because of improvement seen in recent White Sucker reproduction. White Suckers have a similar early life history and habitat to Walleye and so if they could survive from egg to adult, then maybe Walleye could too, once again. The total sample time was 51 minutes with 5 Walleye sampled, but no fish were young-of-year (YOY) or yearling Walleye. All fish sampled were determined to be age 2 and likely from the 2023 fingerling stocked year class. If fry stocking continues in Gun Lake, fall electrofishing should continue as staff time permits to determine the effectiveness of the restarted fry stocking strategy. Gun Lake has not been previously been fall electrofished for Walleye and so a spring electrofishing survey will be conducted to follow up and confirm these results.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Gun Lake was conducted beginning on July 7,2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at fourteen sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample thirteen stations. One station was electrofished from the boat and not seined because it was located in an area with dense vegetation and a soft bottom. Nearshore sampling captured nineteen species of fish including five species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Mottled Sculpin, and Rock Bass) and none that are tolerant of disturbance. A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by LBMA Program staff. Twelve trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured twelve species of fish, including one that is intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Rock Bass) and one that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Bigmouth Buffalo). Bluegill comprised a majority of the catch by number, whereas Bowfin comprised a majority by biomass. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from a survey conducted during the week of August 21, 2023 to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Bigmouth Buffalo). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey provide evidence that the fish community in Gun Lake during this assessment may be healthy as indicated by an FIBI score that exceeds the aquatic life use impairment threshold determined for similar lakes. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Mississippi River-Brainerd Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Gun Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.

Gun Lake is located about five miles south of Palisade in central Aitkin County. The lake has a variety of habitats that support a diverse fish community with angling opportunities for several popular game fish species. Sand is the primary substrate around much of the lake mixed in with areas of gravel, rubble, muck and silt. Aquatic vegetation is also diverse with a variety of emergent, floating-leaf, and submerged species present. Curly-leaf pond weed is also present. At 717 acres, the lake is fairly large for Aitkin County. The water color is brown from tannin stain and normal clarity is about 5-7 feet. There is a public access located on the southwest portion of the lake. Gun Lake anglers primarily target Black Crappie and Bluegill. The abundance of Black Crappie has varied widely over time as is typical with Black Crappie populations, the population is currently abundant. While slower growing, fish over 10 inches are sampled regularly. Gill net catch rates for Black Crappie have ranged from 2 to 30 per gill net and the long-term average is 10.5 per gill net. The catch rate for Black Crappie in 2023 was 21.3 per gill net, which was an increase from the last survey in 2019 (13.4 per gill net). The Bluegill population is characterized as having low abundance and good growth compared to other area lakes. The sample of Bluegills from trap net catches averaged only 6 inches long, however, size structure is reasonable with 26% measuring greater than 7 inches and fish over 8 inches available for anglers to catch. Selective harvest of Bluegill is encouraged to protect the quality component of the fishery, as it is difficult to restore Bluegill size structure once it is lost. Currently, a special sunfish regulation of 10 fish per day exists to help maintain the quality size structure. Walleye stocking has occurred regularly since the 1960's using a variety of sizes, frequencies, and densities of fish, with only limited success. The gill net catch rate in 2023 was 2 per gill net and is the highest that has been observed in 25 years; a doubling since the 2019 survey. It appears that the change in management strategy from high density stocking in alternate years (2-3 pounds per littoral acre), to stocking a more modest number of fingerlings (0.5 pounds per littoral acre) annually, may be working as new year classes of Walleye are now evident in the population. Yellow Perch numbers also appear to have rebounded and are a good source of food for both the Walleye and Northern Pike in Gun Lake. Northern Pike and Largemouth Bass are additional predator species found in the lake. While not sampled effectively in standard survey gear, Largemouth Bass over 15 inches are captured routinely. Largemouth Bass have been consistently present in surveys at low numbers since 2003. Spring night time bass electrofishing was conducted in 2023 to try and gain a better understanding of the abundance and size structure of the population. A total of 14 Largemouth Bass were sampled, equating to a modest catch rate of 8.2 per hour. Sizes ranged from 8.7 to 18.6 inches, with an average size of 12.8 inches. Overall, this was a fairly low catch rate for this area, yet similar to past surveys on Gun Lake. Additionally, one adult Smallmouth Bass was observed in Gun Lake, which is the first observed in all previous surveys. Northern Pike abundance decreased to 4.8 per gill net from a high of 6.4 per gill net in 2019. Their sizes ranged from 18.9 to 32.3 inches, averaged 25.1 inches long and 3.6 pounds, and had 60% greater than 24 inches. Those metrics indicate a quality size structure. Larger pike play an important role in regulating survival and growth of various species. Anglers are encouraged to release larger Pike and harvest smaller ones to help protect the vital function larger Pike provide in the aquatic community, and to allow additional opportunities for others to share the experience of catching a quality gamefish.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Hybrid Sunfish, Walleye, Black Crappie, and Smallmouth Bass in Gun. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Gun. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Gun has a maximum depth of 44 feet and a mean depth of 18 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Gun is from 2025.

No invasive species are on record for Gun in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.