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Gull Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Brainerd's flagship: the resort-country classic where Minnesota learned to fish walleye chop over gravel and muskies haunt the cabbage.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
74 / 76 F
Wind
NE 6 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Gull Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings a mixed sky, wind NE around 6 mph, falling pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 76. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeExcellent

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perchGood

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Similar at 78 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp74 F
High / Low76 / 64 F
WindNE 6-7 mph
Pressure1011.6 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain27% cloud, 11%
Sunrise / Sunset06:41 / 19:50
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 76/64 F, wind 10 mph, rain 11%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Gull Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Gull Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Gull Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 17 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 82 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Minnesota requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Minnesota license. Walleye protective slot: check DNR Brainerd-area rules. Muskie 54-inch.

Access

Government Point, Hole-in-the-Day, East Gull accesses; resort launches throughout.

About this water

9,418 acres in the Brainerd Lakes, Cass/Crow Wing counties, MN. The resort-country flagship.

Fishing Gull Lake: the full guide

The Brainerd standard

Gull anchors the Brainerd Lakes' resort empire: 9,400 clear acres of gravel bars, cabbage beds and structure that taught generations of Minnesota guides their trade. The lake balances fame with output: walleye as the tradition, muskies and bass as the modern growth stocks, and an infrastructure (resorts, launches, winter roads) that makes every season turnkey.

Walleye on the gravel

The signature program runs the bars: Gull's famous gravel (Squaw Point, the Narrows shelves) loads with spring jig-and-shiner fish, June's leeches under slip bobbers work the 12-18-ft breaks at dusk, and summer's spinner-and-crawler trollers cover the deep weedlines. The walleye chop doctrine was practically written here: wind on the bars means gold.

The predator upgrade

Muskie stockings built a 50-inch fishery over the cabbage flats (Wilson Bay, the Narrows: figure-eights mandatory), and the bass fishing: largemouth in the pockets, smallmouth on every rock: steadily rivals the walleye claim. Crappie stack the fish cribs each spring: the resort docks light the summer night bite.

Resort-country rhythm

Public accesses (Government Point, Hole-in-the-Day) spread the fleet: resorts add their own. July's traffic peaks hard: dawn and dusk own the bite anyway. Winter villages the flats (the Brainerd Jaycees ice extravaganza: the world's largest contest: happens on neighboring Hole lakes but Gull's roads run all season): a complete northern calendar.

Common questions

Is Gull Lake still good for walleye?

Steadily: the gravel bars produce on every wind, and the slot protects the spawn class. It fishes best as a conditions lake: chop and dusk beat calendars.

Does Gull Lake hold big muskies?

Fifty-inch fish come every season from the cabbage: June's post-opener and October's big-rubber weeks are the windows. The Narrows' weed edges are the storied water.

Is fishing good at Gull Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Mille Lacs Lake36 miOtter Tail Lake61 miCass Lake69 miLake Winnibigoshish71 miGrindstone Lake72 miLake Bemidji79 mi
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