Where is Gilmore Lake?

Gilmore 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 temperature of Gilmore Lake?

Gilmore Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in October, from 178 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

How deep is Gilmore Lake?

Gilmore Lake has a maximum depth of 54 feet and an average depth of 22 feet. The lake covers 93.16 acres.

When does Gilmore Lake thaw?

Gilmore Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 24. Ice typically forms around Nov 23. The open water season is approximately 213 days.

Can I fish at Gilmore Lake?

Public access to Gilmore 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.

Gilmore Lake

Hubbard County, Minnesota93 acresView map Directions

Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Gilmore Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity

20.3 ft

Clearer than most

Secchi · sampled 2025

Phosphorus

10 µg/L

Less phosphorus than most

Measured by Minnesota PCA

Chlorophyll-a

1.5 µg/L

Less algae than most

Measured by Minnesota PCA

Water temp

~58°F

Typical for Oct · EPA WQP

Max depth

54 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

93 acres

Surface area

Oligotrophic
54 ft max depth

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Gilmore Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 54 ft. Surface area: 93.16 acres.

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 6, 2016 caught 3.25 walleye per gill net at Gilmore Lake. DNR survey details →

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Gilmore Lake is a 93-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 54 feet (22-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 11 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and largemouth bass. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in Hubbard County, Gilmore Lake ranks #27 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Gilmore Lake covers about 93 acres in Hubbard County. The median ice-out date is April 24, which is when the open-water season begins. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Gilmore Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.

What Gilmore Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Clear water20.3 ft of visibility
Fishing11 species recorded
Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 24
Deep water54 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Low 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 Gilmore 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.

Compare swimming lakes near Park Rapids →

Get alerts for Gilmore Lake →

Water quality measurements for Gilmore Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Gilmore 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 20.3 ft down. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.5 µg/L. TSI 35.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	20.3ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	10µg/L	Good GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)	1.5µg/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.	35	Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.

Ask about Gilmore Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Water Temperature

Gilmore Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in Apr (about 45°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan

Feb

Mar

45°

Apr

55°

May

68°

Jun

75°

Jul

74°

Aug

67°

Sep

58°

Oct

Nov

Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (45°F) to its warmest (75°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 178 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Gilmore Lake water temperature breakdown →

DNR fisheries survey

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 6, 2016 caught 3.25 walleye per gill net at Gilmore Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Gilmore Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

4 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2016-06-06 (Standard Survey).

4 surveys on file · most recent 2016-06-06 (Standard Survey)

Species	Catch rate (CPUE)	Size	Avg weight
Bluegill	8.46	3–8 in 2016-06-06	0.09 lb
Yellow Perch	4.83	5–8 in 2016-06-06	0.15 lb
Rock Bass	4.57	4–10 in 2016-06-06	0.4 lb
Pumpkinseed	2.43	3–7 in 2016-06-06	0.2 lb
Northern Pike	2.25	20–29 in 2016-06-06	1.78 lb
White Sucker	1.96	20 in 2016-06-06	2.76 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.

Bluegill

64 fish · 3–8 in · 2016-06-06

Yellow Perch

18 fish · 5–8 in · 2016-06-06

Rock Bass

38 fish · 4–10 in · 2016-06-06

Pumpkinseed

17 fish · 3–7 in · 2016-06-06

From the 2016-06-06 survey

Gilmore Lake is located three miles northeast of Dorset in Hubbard County. Gilmore has a surface area of 93 acres and a maximum depth of 54 feet. There is no public access on the lake and the entire shoreline is in private ownership. Gilmore provides angling opportunities for Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and…

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Gilmore Lake. 1 report on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

—
Fisheries Lake Survey — Gilmore
Fisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder

Lake Details

Max depth

54 ft

Average depth

22 ft

Surface area

93 acres

Shoreline

1.7 mi

Littoral zone

39%

Share shallower than 15 ft

Public access

Listed by Minnesota PCA

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

1 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,430 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Gilmore Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Gilmore Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.

Top-rated places to stay near Gilmore Lake

Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →

Follow Gilmore Lake’s readings

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Fish Species

black crappie bluegill largemouth bass northern pike pumpkinseed rock bass smallmouth bass walleye white sucker yellow bullhead yellow perch

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Gilmore Lake

Water Quality Trend: Worsening

Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).

Water clarity
Stable
6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening
+0.29 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening
+0.13 µg/L/yr6 years

See year-by-year chart →

Ice season

Apr 24

Open water - 213 days

Typical ice-out

Apr 24

Earliest Apr 2, 2016 · Latest May 11, 2013

Typical ice-in

Nov 23

Earliest Nov 8, 2003 · Latest Nov 30, 2024

Most recent ice-out

Apr 19

2025

35 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records

Nearby Lakes in Hubbard County

Dead Horse Lake—View →Little Sand Lake20 ft clear · Oligotrophic—View →Emma Lake18.5 ft clear · Oligotrophic—View →Ojibway Lake15.5 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Lower Bottle Lake15 ft clear · Oligotrophic—View →Ida Lake—View →

Frequently asked questions about Gilmore Lake

Where is Gilmore Lake?: Gilmore 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 Gilmore Lake?: Gilmore Lake in Hubbard County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 54 ft. Surface area: 93.16 acres.
Is Gilmore 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 Gilmore Lake?: Gilmore Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in October, from 178 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Gilmore Lake?: Gilmore Lake has a maximum depth of 54 feet and an average depth of 22 feet. The lake covers 93.16 acres.
What fish are in Gilmore Lake?: Fish species found in Gilmore Lake include black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Gilmore Lake is located in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Gilmore Lake?: Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 6, 2016 caught 3.25 walleye per gill net at Gilmore Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Gilmore Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Gilmore Lake thaw?: Gilmore Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 24. Ice typically forms around Nov 23. The open water season is approximately 213 days.
Can I fish at Gilmore Lake?: Public access to Gilmore 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.

Explore Gilmore Lake across LakeQuality

Minnesota Fishing Guide

Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Minnesota

Hubbard County Fishing

Fish species and best lakes in Hubbard County

Lake Fishing Forecast

Species activity outlook by water temperature and season

Park Rapids Area

Top lakes and where to stay in the Park Rapids Area area

Minnesota Lake Trips

Where to stay at Minnesota's top lakes, each with its readings

Mississippi Headwaters

Lakes in the Mississippi Headwaters, ranked by water quality

The State of Minnesota's Lakes

Minnesota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements

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Clearest lakes in Minnesota

Ranked by Secchi water clarity

All Minnesota lakes

Every Minnesota lake with its Minnesota PCA measurements

Lake water quality by country

Official ratings and named-lake measurements

State Parks Near Gilmore Lake

Itasca State Park

State Park · 20.8 mi

Other Lakes in Minnesota

Hungry Man Lake

Becker County · 14.4 ft

Becker County · 9 ft

Cass County · 16 ft

Cass County · 16 ft

Wadena County · 15.4 ft

Kabekona Bay Lake

Cass County · 17.2 ft

Oligotrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Hungry Man Lake Howard Lake Crystal Lake Kabekona Bay Lake

Where this data comes from

305 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA305 samples · 2020–2025

Analytical methods

Field measurement/observation, generic method
Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination

Monitoring station identifiers (2)

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.