Minnesota · Pope County
Grove Lake Fishing guide
Grove Lake covers 345 acres in Pope County, Minnesota, reaching 31 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 10.3 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 11 times, most recently in 2023, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
WalleyeLast stocked 2025Fair numbers1.5per gill net20"Typical28"Biggest
Lengths measured · 10 fish
Recent · 2021 + 2023Lengths measured · 9 fish
2023Only 9 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 1 fish
2021Only 1 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 27 fish
2017Lengths measured · 15 fish
2012Largemouth bassFair numbers24.9per hr (electrofishing)14"Typical20"Biggest
Lengths measured · 14 fish
Recent · 2021 + 2023Lengths measured · 11 fish
2023Lengths measured · 3 fish
2021Only 3 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 28 fish
2017Lengths measured · 17 fish
2012Northern pikeOne of the best around29.8per gill net18"Typical37"Biggest
Lengths measured · 192 fish
Recent · 2021 + 2023Lengths measured · 186 fish
2023Lengths measured · 6 fish
2021Only 6 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 100 fish
2017Lengths measured · 81 fish
2012BluegillFair numbers27.6per trap net6"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 526 fish
Recent · 2021 + 2023Lengths measured · 257 fish
2023Lengths measured · 269 fish
2021Lengths measured · 149 fish
2017Lengths measured · 188 fish
2012CrappieJust a few1.2per trap net8"Typical12"Biggest
Lengths measured · 49 fish
Recent · 2021 + 2023Lengths measured · 29 fish
2023Lengths measured · 20 fish
2021Lengths measured · 8 fish
2017Only 8 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 11 fish
2012Rates 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 Grove Lake through the year
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 10.3 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- 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 66% 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.
Walleye
- Spring
- Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. At 10.3 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- Early summer
- Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
- Summer
- Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure. With 66% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Size history
Biggest fish by survey year
| Survey year | Northern pike | Walleye | Largemouth bass |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 37" | 28" | 20" |
| 2021 | 29" | 28" | 16" |
| 2017 | 32" | 22" | 19" |
| 2012 | 30" | 23" | 18" |
| 2007 | 31" | 23" | 17" |
| 2002 | 29" | 28" | 18" |
| 1997 | 30" | — | 19" |
| 1993 | 32" | 26" | 17" |
Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.
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 · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Walleye · Trolling
Snap Weights + Stickbaits
4–5" suspending or slow-floating stickbait
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Free Rig
Creature bait or magnum finesse worm
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
DNR stocking records
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Stocked |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | 70 fingerlings · 200 adults |
| 2023 | Walleye | 3,974 fingerlings |
| 2021 | Walleye | 1,150 fingerlings |
| 2019 | Walleye | 3,778 fingerlings |
| 2017 | Walleye | 2,454 yearlings |
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2023 survey
Grove Lake is a 345-acre lake located approximately 12 miles southeast of Glenwood. Grove Lake occurs in the headwaters of the North Fork Crow River watershed. The western half of the lake is very shallow and densely vegetated making fishing and recreational boating difficult during summer months. The deeper eastern half of the lake has a maximum depth of 31 feet. Water clarity was 12 feet during the survey.
Bluegill relative abundance (25.3/trap net) is high for Grove Lake. Even with high densities, the size structure is good. Mean length in trap nets was 7.1 inches, with the largest being 9.5 inches. Sunfish anglers are reminded that a special regulation was implemented in 2021 that reduced the daily bag limit of sunfish from 20 to 10 to help protect and improve sunfish quality on this lake. For more information regarding the Quality Sunfish Initiative, see the following: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish/sunfish/index.html.
Read the full DNR narrative
Few Black Crappie have been sampled in past surveys. The 2023 Black Crappie trap net catch (0.2/trap net) was low, while the gill net CPE (4.5/gill net) was the highest to date. This is likely the result of higher than normal surface water temperature for this time of year causing crappie to move deep. Mean length of Black Crappie in gill nets was 9.9 inches, with the largest being 13 inches.
Largemouth Bass relative abundance was low, but similar to the last survey. Bass have never been very abundant in Grove Lake. Sampled fish ranged in length from 7.7 to 17.7 inches, with a mean of 12.8 inches.
Northern Pike were extremely abundant (29.8/gill net), the most of any survey. Size structure is poor, with a mean length of 19.8 inches. Eighty-five percent of fish were under the 22-inch protected slot limit. However, the largest pike sampled was 37 inches. Anglers are encouraged to harvest small Northern Pike. New Northern Pike regulations were implemented in 2018 to increase size structure. Grove Lake is in the North-Central Zone, where all pike from 22 to 26 inches must be released. Anglers can keep 10 pike, but not more than two can be longer than 26 inches. Northern Pike taken by spearing follow the same rules, except one pike may be between 22 and 26 inches, or two larger than 26 inches. For more information see: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/pike/index.html.
Similar to past surveys, few Walleye were sampled (1.5/gill net). Walleye ranged in length from 13.6 to 28.7 inches; with a mean of 19.6 inches. Fingerling stocking takes place every other year. However, with sustained high pike densities, Walleye stockings are not likely to be successful.
Too few Yellow Perch were sampled for any meaningful analysis. Other species sampled include Black Bullhead, Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.
Grove Lake is currently not an infested water and lake users should take extra precautions to keep it that way. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are easily moved from infested to non-infested waters and can negatively affect lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain water from their boat before leaving the access. For more information regarding aquatic invasive species see the following: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquatic/index.html.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Grove Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Grove 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
- Grove Lake (E) (trailer launch)
- Grove Lake (SE) (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Grove Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Westport Lake · 203 ac · 7 mi
- Amelia Lake · 934 ac · 7.7 mi
- Lake Johanna · 1,399 ac · 8.9 mi
- Villard Lake · 544 ac · 9.2 mi
- Leven Lake · 282 ac · 10.1 mi
- Lake Linka · 178 ac · 11.4 mi
- Gilchrist Lake · 336 ac · 12 mi
- Goose Lake · 324 ac · 12.8 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Grove Lake?
Grove Lake reaches 31 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 10.3 ft; about 66% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Grove Lake?
Grove Lake covers 345 acres with about 5.1 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Grove Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Grove Lake average 10.3 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Grove Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2023) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Grove Lake stocked?
Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2017.
Does Grove Lake have a public access?
Yes. Grove Lake has 2 public access sites, including Grove Lake (E) (trailer launch).
How big do northern pike get in Grove Lake?
The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 37"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1993.
When was Grove Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Grove Lake in 2023, the most recent of 11 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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