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Guckeen Lake is a small 28.0 acre borrow pit located immediately south of I-90 and north of the Town of Guckeen in Faribault County. Guckeen Lake is unique in that it provides angling opportunity to an area of Minnesota that has a limited number of lakes. Guckeen Lake was annually stocked with adult bluegill and black crappie prior to 2007. Currently, no fish are stocked in Guckeen Lake as fish populations sustain themselves naturally. A standard survey was conducted the week of 1 July to monitor the sport fish community using 2 gill nets, 6 trap nets, and 26 minutes of electrofishing. Black Crappie were sampled with trap nets at a rate of 1.2/net and with gill nets at a rate of 13.5/net. The trap net catch rate was a decline from 11.0/net in 2012. The gill net catch rate was a decline from 24.0/net in 2012. Black Crappie sampled with trap nets ranged from 3.7 inches to 13.1 inches with and averaged 5.8 inches. Black Crappie sampled with gill nets ranged from 4.0 inches to 8.4 inches and averaged 5.7 inches. Black Crappie reached 8 inches during their 6th year. Bluegill were sampled at a rate of 3.2/trap net which less than the 82.0/trap net seen in 2012 -the highest on record. Bluegills sampled with trap nets were small, ranging from 3.3 inches to 7.1 inches and averaging 5.6 inches. Bluegills reached 6 inches in length at age-4. Bluegills don't appear to live long enough to reach a size preferred by anglers in Guckeen Lake. Yellow Perch were sampled at a rate of 55.0/gill net. Yellow Perch were not sampled during the previous survey in 2012. It is possible Yellow Perch were stocked by anglers between surveys. Yellow Perch were small averaging only 5.9 inches with only one fish over 7 inches. Largemouth Bass were sampled at a rate of 62.2/hour of electrofishing. Only 1 Largemouth Bass was sampled in 2012 via net gears. Largemouth Bass ranged from 3.5 inches to 18.7 inches with an average of 7.8 inches. Nearly 20% of Largemouth Bass sampled were greater than 15 inches. Six Common Carp were sampled with gill nets for a catch rate of 3.0/net. A single Common Carp was sampled with trap nets. Common Carp sampled with both gears ranged from 17.6 inches to 24.6 inches. Five Common Carp were sampled in the 2012 survey. Other fish species sampled in low numbers include Bigmouth Buffalo, Freshwater Drum (sheepshead), Golden Shiner, White Bass, and White Sucker. Golden Shiner were not sampled in 2012. Black Bullhead and Yellow Bullhead were sampled in 2012 but were not present in 2024. Winterkill, summer kills, and angler stocking may explain the differences in fish community between surveys. Water quality samples were taken. Water temperature was 71.8 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface and 69.3 degrees Fahrenheit at 18 feet. Dissolved oxygen was 8.4 ppm at the surface and 1.6 ppm at 18 feet. No thermocline was detected. -Brandon Eder, assistant area supervisor

Guckeen Lake is a small 28.0 acre borrow pit located immediately south of I-90, north of the Town of Guckeen in Faribault County. Guckeen Lake is unique in that it provides angling opportunity to an area of Minnesota that has a limited number of lakes. Prior to 2007, Guckeen Lake was annually stocked with adult bluegill and black crappie. Currently, no fish are stocked in Guckeen Lake as fish populations sustain themselves naturally. The sport fish community consists of black crappie, bluegill, white crappie, and northern pike. A population assessment was conducted on 8-29-2012 to monitor the sport fish community using 2 gill nets and 3 trap nets. Historical northern pike catch rates have varied in Guckeen Lake from 0.5/gill net in 1981 to 11.5/gill net in 1987. In 2012, northern pike were captured at a rate of 8.5/gill net, which is high when compared to similar lakes. Size structure of northern pike was small, with pike measuring 17.2 to 27.2 inches in length and averaging 20.6 inches. Black crappie trap net catch rates decreased from 35.3/trap net in 2007 to 11.0/trap net in 2012, which is slightly higher when compared to similar lakes. Black crappie gill net catch rates increased from 16.0/gill net in 2007 to 24.0/gill net in 2012, which is high when compared to similar lakes. Black crappies were small as 99% were less than 7.5 inches in length. White crappies were captured at a rate of 5.3/trap net in 2012, consistent with what was observed in 2007, and high when compared to similar lakes. White crappies were small, ranging in length from 4.9 to 8.2 inches and averaging 6.2 inches. Prior to the 2012 survey, bluegill catch rates have not exceeded 20.5/trap net dating back to the early 1980's. In 2012, the bluegill catch rate increased to 82.0/trap net, and was the highest observed catch rate for Guckeen Lake. The 2012 catch rate is very high relative to catch rates in similar lakes. Bluegills were small ranging from 3.5 to 6.1 inches in length and averaging 4.7 inches. One 10.4 inch largemouth bass was caught in a gill net. This is the first documented capture of a largemouth bass in this system. Black bullhead, common carp, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and freshwater drum were also present, but occurred in low numbers.

Guckeen is a borrow pit located off I-90, north of the town of Guckeen. This lake has been stocked annually with panfish to provide an angling opportunity. Black crappie and bluegill are abundant with a small average size 5-7 inches. Northern pike were found in good numbers (8 per gillnet) with a favorable size distribution of 20-34 inches.

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

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

Unnamed has a maximum depth of 21 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Unnamed is from 2024.

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