Fishing Gladstone Lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Gladstone Lake stands in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,184 feet. Surface area runs to roughly 432 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. The perimeter runs near 3.3 miles, so plan the walk before you start. On our Crow Wing County list it sits near the top for size. You are 3.7 miles from Nisswa. Lake Shore follows at 5.8 miles, then East Gull Lake at 7.3 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Gladstone Lake

  Surveys put the deepest water at about 41 feet. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. County-wide records name largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, northern pike and pumpkinseed. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Gladstone Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 69°F and January near 8°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near late November in autumn. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan any trip to Gladstone Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Moody Lake sits 0.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Gladstone Lake.