Minnesota · Sherburne County
Fremont Lake Fishing guide
Fremont Lake is a 493-acre lake in Sherburne County, Minnesota, reaching 8 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 3.7 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 4 times, most recently in 2008, with largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and crappie in the nets. That survey is 18 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
Northern pikeFair numbers7per gill net23"Typical26"Biggest
Lengths measured · 15 fish
BluegillJust a few0.3per trap net1"Typical7"Biggest
Lengths measured · 34 fish
Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Fremont Lake through the year
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. In 3.7 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
- Early summer
- Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
- Summer
- Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. With 100% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops. A 8-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. In 3.7 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
- Early summer
- Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
- Summer
- Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade. With 100% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze. A 8-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Jigs & bladed
Spinnerbait
3/8–1/2 oz safety-pin spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Wacky-Rigged Stickworm
5" stickworm
Yellow perch · Soft plastics
Curly-Tail Grub on Jig
3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead
Yellow perch · Soft plastics
Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic
1–1.5" micro plastic
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2008 survey
Fremont Lake is a general development lake located in northeast Sherburne County, near Zimmerman. The lake is shallow, mostly 6-7 feet, with low to moderate water clarity (secchi depth 3.7 feet). Dissolved oxygen was adequate throughout the water column. These conditions are favorable for widespread aquatic plant growth. Curly-leaf pondweed, an exotic that was first found in Fremont Lake in 1957, was found growing at or near the surface on 61 acres, 12.4% of the lake in June of 2008. Canada waterweed, a native submersed plant, was found in 82% of samples in 2002.
Fremont lake is susceptible to winterkill. During the winter of 2000-2001, winterkill was observed on many area lakes, including Fremont. Ice-out trap netting indicated that few game species remained. Later in the spring, adult northern pike, bluegill, and black crappie were stocked. An aeration system was subsequently purchased in 2001. Mild winters did not necessitate its use until winter 2007-08, but a partial kill still occurred. It remains to be seen whether the equipment can keep Fremont Lake alive during severe winters. Shallowness (lake volume) will limit the fishery.
Read the full DNR narrative
This was the first full survey since 1993 and winter-kill species dominated the net catches.
Northern pike were common and the largest was just over 26 inches. Only two gill nets were set because of the shallow lake depth, but caught pike at a rate of 7/net, which was at the high end of the normal range for similar lakes. Fremont Lake has a history of producing large northern pike (up to 18 pounds).
Black bullheads were captured at a rate of 29.4/trap net. This was below the average, but still within the normal range for similar lakes and abundant for Sherburne County lakes. Bullheads were small and 7-8 inches in length. Bullheads would need to grow to 10 inches in order to interest commercial harvest.
Carp were present in high numbers at catch rates of almost 10/trap net. Carp ranged in length from 10 to 26 inches and averaged 18 inches. More than 700 young of the year carp were captured during shoreline seining. This was evidence of a recruitment response. Winter kill conditions seem to illicit successful spawning from carp, and this is a definite detriment to the lake.
Golden shiner were abundant and spawning during the survey in early June. Fish were caught in trap nets at a rate of 27/net, which was more than 50 times the average rate for similar lakes. In the absence of yellow perch golden shiner become important forage for northern pike.
Other sport species captured at low levels of abundance were black crappie and bluegill. These remnant survivors will provide progeny for future populations in Fremont Lake.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Fremont Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Fremont Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Fremont Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Fremont Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- West Hunter Lake · 61 ac · 3.1 mi
- East Hunter Lake · 57 ac · 3.4 mi
- Elk Lake · 362 ac · 3.4 mi
- Sandy Lake · 64 ac · 3.7 mi
- Blue Lake · 296 ac · 4.1 mi
- Baxter Lake · 89 ac · 5.5 mi
- Ann Lake · 183 ac · 5.9 mi
- Birch Lake · 160 ac · 6.9 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Fremont Lake?
Fremont Lake reaches 8 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 5.2 ft; about 100% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Fremont Lake?
Fremont Lake covers 493 acres with about 5.3 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Fremont Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Fremont Lake average 3.7 ft of visibility, on the stained end for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Fremont Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2008) record largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Fremont Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Fremont Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Fremont Lake have a public access?
Yes. Fremont Lake has one public access site: Fremont Lake (trailer launch).
How big do northern pike get in Fremont Lake?
The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 26".
When was Fremont Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Fremont Lake in 2008, the most recent of 4 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
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