Minnesota · Crow Wing County

Roy Lake Fishing guide

Roy Lake is a 320-acre lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, reaching 26 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 15.3 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 8 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 26 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface320 ac

Max depth26 ft

Clarity15.3 ft

Littoral40%

Surveyed2025

How to fish Roy Lake through the year

Northern pike

Spring: Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 15.3 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.
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 15.3 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.
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
2025	33"	26"	18"
2019	37"	22"	16"
2013	32"	27"	15"
2001	33"	23"	16"
1996	33"	20"	9"

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

3–25 ftmoderate

Shop paddletail swimbaits →

Northern pike · Muskie & pike

Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)

10" soft rubber body bait

3–25 ftslow

Shop musky rubber →

Walleye · Live bait

Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler

jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler

8–35 ftslow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Trolling

Leadcore Line + Crankbaits

4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run

15–45 fttrolling

Shop deep-diving crankbaits →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

Shop plastic worms →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Free Rig

Creature bait or magnum finesse worm

8–30 ftdead slowweedless

Shop creature baits →

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 2025 survey

Roy is a small 320 acre lake that is part of the Gull Chain of Lakes and can be accessed through channels from Nisswa Lake and Spider Lake. Roy receives plenty of recreational traffic as boats navigate between Gull and Nisswa Lakes. A special regulation enacted in 2024 requires the immediate release of all Northern Pike between 30 and 40 inches, with a possession limit of two fish and only one allowed over 40 inches on the Gull Chain of Lakes. A standard survey using gill nets and trap nets was conducted in June 2025 to assess fish populations and provide angler information.

Anglers looking to get a meal of panfish should be able to accomplish that on Roy, while those looking for trophy panfish should look elsewhere. The Bluegill trap net catch was a little below average for the lake. Bluegills ranged in length from 2.8 to 8.4 inches with an average of 5.9 inches. Bluegill at least 7 inches in length made up 20% of the sample. Growth was average compared to similar lakes with Bluegills reaching 6 inches at age 6. Black Crappies were sampled in below average numbers in both trap nets and in gill nets. Fish ranged in length from 4.5 to 11.9 inches with 77% at least 8 inches in length.

Read the full DNR narrative

The Northern Pike gill net catch was above average for the lake. Fish ranged in length from 10.0 to 33.2 inches with an average of 20.8 inches. Growth was good with Northern Pike reaching 23.7 inches at age 4. Anglers wishing to harvest Northern Pike will find plenty of opportunity on Roy with 97% not in the protected slot.

Electrofishing, the preferred method for sampling Largemouth Bass, was not completed in 2025. Anglers can expect a chance at some decent fish based on what was caught in the summer netting. Fish ranging from 5.2 to 18.5 inches were sampled, with 67% measuring at least 12 inches in length.

Walleye are not stocked directly into Roy, but Gull Lake receives 2,825,000 fry annually along with occasional fingerling stockings. The 2025 catch of 0.3/gill net was near the lake average (0.5/gill net). Previous catches ranged from 0.0-1.0/gill net. Including Walleye sampled in trap nets fish ranged from 21.5 to 26.3 inches. Most anglers don't target Walleye in Roy but may occasionally catch a bonus one while targeting other species.

Other species sampled in the latest survey included Bowfin (Dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, White Sucker, Yellow Bullhead, and Yellow Perch.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Roy Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Roy 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.

Open the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report

Crow Wing County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Public access: Indirect access via channels from Gull Narrows. No direct access.

DNR bathymetry

Roy Lake depth map

Roy Lake depth contour map, Crow Wing County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 26 ft from Minnesota DNR bathymetry, free to save or print. The live map adds ranked spots and conditions on the same contours.

Within 30 miles

Nearby lakes

Ray Lake · 143 ac · 0.7 mi
Nisswa Lake · 219 ac · 1.2 mi
Upper Gull Lake · 422 ac · 1.3 mi
Edna Lake · 156 ac · 1.3 mi
Fawn Lake · 64 ac · 1.4 mi
Lower Cullen Lake · 560 ac · 2.2 mi
West Twin Lake · 128 ac · 2.4 mi
Margaret Lake · 251 ac · 2.4 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Roy Lake?

Roy Lake reaches 26 ft at its deepest point; about 40% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Roy Lake?

Roy Lake covers 320 acres with about 5.7 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Roy Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Roy Lake average 15.3 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Roy Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.

Is Roy Lake stocked?

No stocking is on record for Roy Lake in the DNR's stocking database.

Does Roy Lake have a public access?

Yes. Roy Lake has one public access site: Public access (Indirect access via channels from Gull Narrows. No direct access.).

How big do northern pike get in Roy Lake?

The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 33"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1996.

When was Roy Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Roy Lake in 2025, the most recent of 8 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Roy Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Roy Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report