Gunn Lake Fishing near Coleraine, Minnesota

• Overview

  Gunn Lake lies within the bounds of Itasca County, Minnesota. Country round the bank runs to rolling bush. This is sizeable water at about 707 acres, and a boat opens up most of it. There is roughly 13 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Few waters listed in Itasca County are bigger. Some 19 miles away sits Coleraine, the nearest settlement. Cohasset follows at 20 miles, then Grand Rapids at 22 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Gunn Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Itasca County include yellow perch, largemouth bass and northern pike. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. On Gunn Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 67°F; by January the average is down near 4°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Gunn Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Three Island Lake is 1.1 miles off. Check the position at Gunn Lake before loading the car.