Gilchrist

Lake Gilchrist is a shallow 321-acre basin located in southeast Pope County. Maximum depth is 24.0 feet. Approximately 61% of the surface area is less than 15.0 feet in depth. The East Branch of the Chippewa River runs through the basin. Water quality and habitat conditions are variable in response to a large watershed. Water level has varied as much as 5 feet between dry and wet weather cycles. Water clarity can become seasonally poor due to excessive algal blooms, especially in late summer. A standard lake survey was completed during May through July 2023 to assess the current fish community. Lake Gilchrist is classified as a bass/panfish type lake and is also stocked with Walleye to supplement their natural reproduction. Various life stages (fry, fingerling, yearling) of Walleye have been stocked over the years, including high density Walleye fingerling stockings from 2003 through 2017. Those high-density fingerling stockings failed to increase Walleye catch rates. Due to the greater success from past fry stockings, starting in 2018 Lake Gilchrist was switched back to Walleye fry stocking on an alternate year basis. Walleye catch rates increased slightly during the 2023 survey to the highest levels observed in nearly 40 years. Multiple year-classes of young Walleye should provide good Walleye fishing for several years to come. Average length of Walleye caught in this survey was 16.7 inches. Lake Gilchrist has a history of producing large Bluegills, Black Crappies and Largemouth Bass. Starting in the spring of 2021, a special regulation was implemented that reduced the daily limit of sunfish from 20 to 10. This regulation change was intended to help maintain or improve the size of sunfish in Lake Gilchrist. Bluegill catch rates were moderate in 2023, but many of the fish were smaller. Only 3% of the Bluegill caught in the survey were over 8 inches. Lake Gilchrist has the potential to support a high quality Bluegill fishery. Bluegill up to 10.0 inches were observed in past surveys. Black Crappie catch rates were low, but many of those observed in the survey were large. A number of crappies from 11.0 to 14.5 inches were caught in the survey. Largemouth Bass abundance also remains low to moderate, but average size is large. Over half of the bass caught during the survey were 16.0 inches or longer, and fish over 20.0 inches have been observed in recent surveys. Northern Pike catch rates returned to near average in the 2023 survey, after very high numbers of pike were encountered in the 2017 survey. While pike up to 31.6 inches were caught during this survey, average length was only 23.1 inches. Growth rates of Northern Pike in Lake Gilchrist are above average and most of the fish caught in the survey were 2 to 4 years old. Starting in May 2018, new Northern Pike regulations allowed for the opportunity to harvest more small pike. Lake Gilchrist falls within the north-central pike zone and anglers can harvest up to 10 Northern Pike less than 22 inches in length. Two of those pike may be longer than 26 inches, but none between 22 and 26 inches may be retained. Quality fishing opportunities exist for multiple species in Lake Gilchrist. However, because of its small size, the fishery is vulnerable to over-harvest of larger fish. Anglers are encouraged to practice selective harvest to help maintain and improve the quality of the Lake Gilchrist fishery. Selective harvest encourages the release of larger fish while promoting harvest of more abundant smaller fish. Releasing medium to large fish will help restore and maintain fish community balance, as well as increase opportunities to catch large fish in the future. Lake Gilchrist was designated as an infested water after the discovery of Eurasian watermilfoil in 1996 and zebra mussels in 2019. Recreational users should take necessary precautions to prevent the further spread of invasive species. Drain all water and remove all aquatic vegetation from your boat and trailer when leaving any body of water.

Lake Gilchrist supports a quality panfish fishery. In the spring of 2021, a targeted panfish survey was completed to better assess the Bluegill and Black Crappie populations. A special regulation that reduced the daily sunfish limit from 20 down to 10 was also implemented in the spring of 2021. The goal of the new regulation is to increase the average size of Bluegill. This survey will be used to help evaluate the effects of the regulation on the Bluegill population. Bluegill catch rates were moderate and growth rates are fast. Almost all of the Bluegill sampled were age 6 or younger. Approximately 38% of the Bluegill sampled were over 8 inches and 2% were over 9 inches in length. The largest Bluegill sampled was 9.2 inches. Black Crappie catch rates were also moderate and growth rates are fast. Many large crappies were observed during the survey. Approximately 56% of the Black Crappie were over 10 inches and 15% were over 12 inches. The largest crappie sampled was 14.2 inches. Quality fishing opportunities exist for multiple species in Lake Gilchrist. Anglers are encouraged to practice selective harvest to help sustain the quality of the fishery. Selective harvest encourages the release of larger fish while promoting harvest of more abundant smaller fish. Releasing medium to large fish will help restore and maintain fish community balance, as well as increase opportunities to catch large fish in the future. Lake Gilchrist was designated as an infested water after the discovery of Eurasion watermilfoil in 1996 and zebra mussels in 2019. Recreational users should take necessary precautions to prevent further spread of invasive species. Drain all water and remove all aquatic vegetation from your boat and trailer when leaving any body of water.

Lake Gilchrist is a shallow, 321-acre basin located in southeast Pope County. The East Branch of the Chippewa River runs through the basin. Maximum depth is 24.0 feet. Average depth is estimated at 10.0 feet. Water quality and habitat conditions are variable and strongly influenced by stormwater runoff from an expansive watershed area. Water level has varied as much as 5.0 feet between dry and wet weather cycles. Water clarity can be poor due to algal blooms, especially in late summer. Water clarity measures average 5.0 feet during summer months. Lake Gilchrist is classified as a bass/panfish type lake and is also stocked with Walleye to supplement natural reproduction and sustain a Walleye fishery. A standard MN DNR lake survey was completed in 2017 to assess abundance and size distribution of gamefishes. Survey methodology included an electrofishing survey completed June 1 to assess the Largemouth Bass population. Other fish populations were sampled with gill nets and trap nets. The netting component of the survey began on July 10 and ended July 13. Spring electrofishing catches described a moderate density of Largemouth Bass. While bass are not abundant, the population offers high quality fishing opportunities. Almost half of the bass caught during the survey were 16.0 inches or longer. The largest bass capture measured 20.2 inches. Growth rates of Largemouth Bass are above average. Walleye catches averaged 4.3 fish/gill net which is well within expectations for Gilchrist Lake and lakes with similar size and habitat attributes. Eleven age groups were represented in the gill net catch. Age assignments extended from one to 17 years of age. Average length of Walleyes was 20.5 inches. The largest Walleye caught during the survey was 28.4 inches long. Walleye fingerling stockings have not been more successful in increasing Walleye population abundance than fry stockings. Supplemental stocking methodology will revert back to alternate year fry stockings beginning in 2018. Northern Pike catches increased greatly in 2017 to exceed desired population objectives. While pike up to 33.5 inches were measured, average length was only 22.5 inches due to the increase of young pike in the population. High numbers of small pike can decrease prey fish abundance and reduce effectiveness of Walleye stocking. Starting in May 2018, new Northern Pike regulations will allow the opportunity to harvest more small pike. Lake Gilchrist falls within the North-central pike zone and anglers will be able to harvest up to ten Northern Pike less than 22 inches in length. Lake Gilchrist has a history of producing large Bluegills and Black Crappies. Population abundance of Bluegills increased in 2017, mostly due to enhanced reproductive success and survival in 2015. Two-year-olds comprised 67% of total Bluegill catches in trap nets. These younger Bluegills averaged 5.0 inches and many will approach 8.0 inches in length in 2019. The oldest Bluegill captures were six-years-old. Some of these older fish had grown to 10.0 inches in length. Black Crappies can be difficult to effectively sample with trap nets in mid-summer surveys, thus low catch rates among surveys may not accurately reflect actual crappie abundance. Age distribution of crappie captures extended to age 6. Four-year-old and older crappies exceeded 10.0 inches in length. The largest crappie measured during the 2017 survey was 12.2 inches. Quality fishing opportunities exist for multiple species in Lake Gilchrist. However, because of the lake's small size and modest population densities, the fishery is vulnerable to over-harvest of larger fish. Anglers are encouraged to practice selective harvest to help sustain quality of the Lake Gilchrist fishery. Selective harvest encourages the release of larger fish while promoting harvest of more abundant smaller fish. Releasing medium to large fish will help restore and maintain fish community balance, as well as increase opportunities to catch large fish in the future. Lake Gilchrist was designated as an infested water after the discovery of Eurasian watermilfoil in 1996. Recreational users should take necessary precautions to prevent further spread of invasive species. Drain all water and remove all aquatic vegetation from your boat and trailer when leaving any body of water. A DNR public access is located on the southeast shoreline of the lake. The lake is shallow at the access site. It can be challenging to launch or load large, heavy boats.

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

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

Gilchrist has a maximum depth of 24 feet and a mean depth of 10 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Gilchrist is from 2023.

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