Fishing at Gibson Lake, Crow Wing County, Minnesota

• Overview

  This water sits in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. It sits at 1,175 feet above sea level. Small at around 9 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. On size it sits at the modest end of our Crow Wing County list. Supplies mean a trip to Baxter, 11 miles off. Brainerd lies 12 miles off, Little Falls another 15 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Gibson Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Fish documented in Crow Wing County include largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch and northern pike. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The near bank of Gibson Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 69°F on average, January about 8°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Gibson Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Clover Hill Pond at 1.2 miles is the nearest alternative. What applies at Gibson Lake may have changed since it was mapped.