Fishing at Gundar Lake, Pope County, Minnesota

• Overview

  The Pope County end of Minnesota holds Gundar Lake. Elevation runs to 1,309 feet. It measures about 43 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The edge runs 1.0 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It is a small entry by Pope County standards. Starbuck lies 8.1 miles from the water. Fargo is the closest city, 113 miles away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Gundar Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Pope County list largemouth bass, common carp, northern pike and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Gundar Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 10°F in January up to 71°F in July. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Open water usually runs from early April until about late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. The season on Gundar Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Paulson Lake is 0.6 miles off. Confirm before you fish Gundar Lake.