Goose Lake fishing: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish

Target species: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Black Bullhead, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct for Northern Pike
Second window: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep for Largemouth Bass
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Goose Lake/ Hunting access Public Water Access Site, 1 lane.

The lake

Goose Lake covers 302 acres in Minnesota, across Carver County. It is a lake: 94.3% of it is 8 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 10 feet (3 m). Our records hold 11 species for this water.

7 target fish, led by Northern Pike

  • Northern Pike — Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct.
  • Largemouth Bass — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
  • Channel Catfish — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug.
  • Black Bullhead — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug.
  • Black Crappie — Best months: Jun, Aug, Sep.
  • Bluegill — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug.
  • Yellow Perch — Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct.

Also recorded here: Green Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Brown Bullhead, Common Carp.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 10 ft (3 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 94.3% of the water is 8 feet or shallower. We hold 29 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–1 ft: 13.7% of the water
  • 1–2 ft: 11.3% of the water
  • 2–3 ft: 10.7% of the water
  • 3–4 ft: 12.2% of the water
  • 4–5 ft: 14.2% of the water
  • 5–6 ft: 23% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 9.2% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 5.8% of the water

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 0.3–1.5 feet on our readings, averaging 1 feet, from 75 readings. Our water temperature readings average 68°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 37°F and the warmest is 85°F; the warmest monthly average is 76°F. pH averages 8.6. These readings span 2016–2025.

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp.

  • Goose Lake/ Hunting access Public Water Access Site — 1 lane. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.

The place listed has no fee or opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

What is hard here

With 94.3% of the water 8 feet or less, low level turns the flats into hazards. Clarity swings from 0.3 to 1.5 feet between our readings — the water you meet is not the water someone photographed. Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish.

Where this data comes from

  • Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: reported depths: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.