Love

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.

Love is a small 78 acre lake that can be accessed through a channel from Gull Lake. The lake is heavily developed and also has a campground on it with a marina, so the lake gets plenty of traffic. The lake received decent fishing pressure the week of the survey (July 1st), with several boats fishing the lake each day during the survey. The only fish that were caught in any real numbers were northern pike (9.3/gill net) and bluegill (15.5/net). Size of both were small. Average size of northern pike was 17.6" and 7% of the fish were 24" or larger. Average size of bluegill was 5.6" and 16% of the fish were 7" or larger. Other fish captured included black bullhead, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead, yellow perch, black crappie, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, and hybrid sunfish. Anglers should be aware that lakes in this part of the state have a new northern pike regulation enacted in 2018: possession limit of 10 with not more than 2 over 26". All from 22"-26" must be immediately released. Please refer to the current Minnesota Fishing Regulations for additional information.

Love Lake is a small 78 acre lake that can be accessed through a channel from Gull Lake. The lake is heavily developed and also has a campground on it with a marina, so the lake gets plenty of traffic. The lake received heavy fishing pressure the week of the survey (July 1st), with as many as 10 boats at a time fishing this little lake. At 13 fish per net, northern pike were present in high numbers for this type of lake, with an average size of 19.3" and only 13% measuring 24" or larger. Bluegill numbers were normal at 17.2/net. Average size was 6.3" and 22% of the fish were 7" or larger. Walleyes were also caught in average numbers (1.7/net) with an average length of 20.4". Love Lake is designated as AIS (aquatic invasive species) infested waters because of zebra mussels in Gull Lake. Lake users should inspect and remove any aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and trailers as well as pull the plug and drain all water from the watercraft, including bilges, livewells and baitwells.

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

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Love. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Love has a maximum depth of 27 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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