Gillett Lake
Hubbard County, Minnesota44 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Gillett Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 49 ft max depth
Gillett Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 49 ft. Surface area: 44 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on May 29, 2012 caught 9.50 northern pike per gill net at Gillett Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–29 inches. DNR survey details →
Gillett Lake is a 44-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 49 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in Hubbard County, Gillett Lake ranks #50 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-09-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Gillett Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water19 ft of visibility
- Fishing7 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 18
- Deep water49 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Gillett Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Gillett Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Gillett Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 19 ft down. Phosphorus 8.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.4 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 19ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 8.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.4µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Gillett Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Gillett Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 70°F) and coldest in May (about 57°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (57°F) to its warmest (70°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 94 field readings (2023–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Gillett Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on May 29, 2012 caught 9.50 northern pike per gill net at Gillett Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–29 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Gillett Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2012-05-29 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2012-05-29 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 12.06 | 6–8 in 2012-05-29 | 0.19 lb |
| Black Crappie | 3.92 | 4–9 in 2012-05-29 | 0.17 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.72 | 11–29 in 2012-05-29 | 2.14 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 3.31 | 3–8 in 2012-05-29 | 0.17 lb |
| Brown Bullhead | 2.84 | 11–13 in 2012-05-29 | 0.91 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 1.23 | 10–18 in 2012-05-29 | 1.7 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Yellow Perch
Black Crappie
Northern Pike
Pumpkinseed
From the 2012-05-29 survey
Gillett Lake is located in central Hubbard County, four miles southeast of the town of Lake George. Gillett is a small, deep lake with a surface area of 44 acres and a maximum depth of 49 feet. A state owned gravel access is located off the Halverson Forest Road, on the north shore of the lake. The lake provides…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Gillett Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — GillettFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
49 ft
Surface area
44 acres
Shoreline
1.6 mi
Littoral zone
44%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
9 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,483 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Gillett Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Gillett Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2023–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+2 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-2.6 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 18
Earliest Apr 3, 2000 · Latest Apr 25, 1989
Typical ice-in
Nov 20
Earliest Oct 31, 1993 · Latest Nov 29, 1999
Most recent ice-out
Apr 3
2000
20 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Hubbard County
Frequently asked questions about Gillett Lake
Where is Gillett Lake?
- Gillett Lake is a lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Gillett Lake?
- Gillett Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 19 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 49 ft. Surface area: 44 acres.
Is Gillett Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Gillett Lake?
- Gillett Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in September, from 94 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Gillett Lake?
- Gillett Lake has a maximum depth of 49 feet. The lake covers 44 acres.
What fish are in Gillett Lake?
- Fish species found in Gillett Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow perch. Gillett Lake is located in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Gillett Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on May 29, 2012 caught 9.50 northern pike per gill net at Gillett Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–29 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Gillett Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Gillett Lake thaw?
- Gillett Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 18. Ice typically forms around Nov 20. The open water season is approximately 216 days.
Can I fish at Gillett Lake?
- Public access to Gillett Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
113 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA113 samples · 2023–2024
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate