Gull

Gull Lake is normally stocked annually with Walleye fry at the rate of 1,000 per littoral acre (2,825,000 fry). Fingerlings are stocked on a contingency basis if fall electrofishing results are less than 30 young-of-the-year (YOY) Walleye per hour for two consecutive years; fingerlings were last stocked in the fall of 2020 with the balance of that stocking completed in the spring of 2021. In 2024 the fry stocking rate was cut in half and only 1,412,500 fry were stocked to see if a reduced stocking rate could still produce a strong year class. The reduced stocking rate produced the second highest catch rate ever of YOY Walleye (196.5 per hour) since annual fall electrofishing began in 1994. In 2025, Walleye fry were stocked at the same half rate as they were in 2024. Night electrofishing was conducted on September 23rd, 2025, to monitor the abundance of YOY Walleyes. Total sample time was 2 hours, which resulted in a YOY Walleye catch rate of 107 per hour. This was the second highest catch rate in 14 years, with only 2024 having higher catch rates. YOY Walleye ranged in size from 4.8 to 6.9 inches, with a mean length of 5.7 inches. Previous catch rates ranged from zero to 271.9 per hour. Age 1 and older Walleyes were captured at the rate of 52 per hour. These fish ranged in size from 7.9 to 20.9 inches.

Gull is a 10,010 acre lake in the Crow Wing River watershed in Crow Wing County. It is located six miles north of Brainerd and has DNR administered public accesses on the east and north shores. An Army Corps of Engineers access is located on the southeastern shore near the outlet of the Gull River. It has a maximum depth of 80 feet. Gull Lake is heavily developed, and recreational traffic can be very heavy during summer months. Multiple large fishing tournaments occur throughout the year. Zebra Mussels were first discovered in Gull Lake in 2010. Water clarity measured during the July 2025 survey was good, with an average Secchi depth of 14.3 feet. Gull Lake is one of the premier Walleye fisheries in the Brainerd area and is popular with anglers year round. Walleye fry stocking is done annually at the rate of 1,000 per littoral acre (2,825,000). Walleye fingerlings are also stocked at the rate of one pound per littoral acre (2,825 pounds), contingent on the fall electrofishing catch rate falling below 30 young of the year (YOY) Walleyes per hour for two consecutive years. This would limit fingerling stocking to no more often than every other year. A contingency fingerling stocking was last done in 2020. The 2025 catch of 5.7/gillnet was just above the lake average. Past catches have ranged from 2.8 to 8.5/gill net. . Walleye ranged in length from 7.6 to 27.2 inches with an average of 13.5 inches. Fish at least 12 inches in length made up 46% of the catch with 16% being at least 20 inches in length. Ten year classes were sampled, with the 2024 age 1 class making up 53% of the catch. Growth was good with Walleye averaging 16.5 inches at age 4. Gull Lake has always had a high quality and balanced Northern Pike population. To protect larger, mature fish, special fishing regulations enacted in 2024 require 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. The gill net catch of 3.0/gill net was below the lake average. Past catches have ranged from 0.4 to 6.4/gill net. Length ranged from 20.3 to 38.6 inches with an average of 26.2 inches. Fish in the 30-40 inch protected slot made up 20% of the catch. Growth was good with Northern Pike reaching 24.7 inches at age 4. Anglers will have no problem finding quality Largemouth Bass in Gull. Largemouth Bass were sampled by a spring electrofishing survey at a rate of 60.8/hr of run-time. Fish ranged from 3.5 to 19.2 inches with an average length of 12.5 inches. Largemouth Bass at least 12 inches in length accounted for 65% of the catch with 24% at least 15 inches in length. Largemouth Bass had a gill net catch of 1.7/gill net. Fish ranged from 4.7 to 17.3 inches with an average length of 12.5 inches with 68% at least 12 inches and 23% at least 15 inches in length. Seven year classes were sampled with fish reaching 13.2 inches at age 4. Panfish are popular, especially Black Crappie in the spring, on Gull. The Black Crappie catch of 1.5/trap net was below the lake average. Previous catches ranged from 0.9 to 7.4/trap net. Fish ranged from 3.6 to 11.3 inches with an average length of 7.6 inches. The gill net catch of 0.3/net was right at the lake average. Past catches have ranged from 0.0 to 1.7/gill net. Fish ranged from 4.3 to 11.7 inches with an average length of 7.6 inches. For both gears combined 48% were at least 8 inches and 26% were at least 10 inches in length. Bluegills had a catch of 28.7/trap net which was below the lake average. Past catches ranged from 19.7-91.4/trap net. Average length was 5.1 inches with fish ranging from 2.8 to 8.5 inches. Only 11% were at least 7 inches in length. Yellow Perch are an important prey species for Walleye and Northern Pike. The gill net catch was down compared to past surveys. Fish ranged from 4.2 to 11.4 inches. The majority of Yellow Perch in Gull are too small to be of interest to anglers, with only 3% at least 8 inches in length. Other species sampled in the latest survey included Black Bullhead, Bowfin (Dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Tullibee (Cisco), White Sucker and Yellow Bullhead.

Night electrofishing was conducted on September 24th, 2024, to monitor the abundance of young-of-the-year (YOY) Walleyes. The total sample time was 2 hours, which resulted in a YOY Walleye catch rate of 196.5/hour run-time. This was the highest catch rate in 13 years and the second highest ever. These fish ranged in size from 5.1" to 8.2", with a mean length of 6.7". Previous catch rates have ranged from 0/hour run-time to 271.9/hour run-time. The catch rate of Walleyes age 1 and older was 1.5/hour run-time. These fish ranged in size from 15.9" to 21.3".

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

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

Gull has a maximum depth of 80 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

Yes — Gull has confirmed zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.