Golden

Golden Lake is a small (57 acre) class 38 lake located at the lower end of a sub-watershed of the Rice Creek Watershed in the City of Circle Pines. Maximum depth is 25 feet. A portion of the lakeshore is included in a City of Circle Pines park that contains a boat access and shore facilities for a cascade type winter aeration system. The city park also hosts a fishing pier, swimming beach and a small boat launch. An electric motor only boating regulation is in place on this lake. The aeration system is a permanent structure buried in the ground. The system discharges below the water surface to minimize open water areas in winter. Golden Lake in the past has been stocked with Channel Catfish and Walleye of various sizes off and on since 1984. Efforts to establish a fishable Walleye population have been difficult as no Walleye have been sampled in the last two surveys. The last Channel Catfish stocking effort occurred in 2009 and continued stocking efforts are dependent on finding a quality source of Channel Catfish. Bluegills were found in slightly above average abundance for lakes similar to Golden with average size being a little more than 6.0 inches. Black Crappies can be found in average numbers and are of below average size. Largemouth Bass were sampled in average numbers for lakes like Golden and are of average size. Northern Pike were also sampled in below average numbers but the fish found were decent sized and averaged just less than 26 inches. Of the east metro lakes stocked with Channel Catfish, Golden has been one of the more successful and historically had one of the highest net catches for Channel Catfish. One 19.0 inch Channel Catfish was sampled in 2018.

Golden Lake is a 57 acre lake in Anoka County. Maximum depth is 25 feet. The lake earns its Golden name since the lakes water is bog stained. There is a fishing pier and a small boat launch in the city park. An electric motor only boating regulation is in place on this lake. Bluegills were the most abundant species found in the lake but only averaged slightly more than 6.15 inches. Black Crappies are found in moderate numbers and are of moderate size. Only one Black Crappie over 10 inches was sampled in this survey and it was 10.35 inches long. Largemouth Bass were sampled in average numbers for lakes like Golden but were of small size. Northern Pike were also sampled in modest numbers but the fish found were good sized. No Walleye were observed in this survey even though fry have been stocked every other year since 2001. Of the east metro lakes stocked with Channel Catfish, Golden has been one of the more successful and historically had one of the highest net catches for Channel Catfish, however none were detected in 2013. Channel Catfish yearlings were last stocked 2009.

Golden Lake is a 57 acre lake in Anoka county. Maximum depth is 25 feet. The lake earns its Golden name since the lakes water is bog stained. There is a fishing pier and a small boat launch in the city park. No gas motors are allowed on the lake. Bluegills are the most abundant species found in the lake but only average slightly more than 5.5 inches in length. Black crappies are found in moderate numbers and also of small size. No crappies over 10 inches were sampled in this survey. Largemouth bass were sampled in average numbers. Northern pike were also sampled in average numbers. Walleyes are found in low numbers even though they have been stocked every other year since 2001. Channel catfish are stocked annually. This has resulted in one of the better channel catfish lakes in the east metro area. The average size catfish sampled during the survey was 24.4 inches in length.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Green Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Hybrid Sunfish, and Yellow Perch in Golden. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Golden has a maximum depth of 25 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Golden is from 2018. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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