Town Line

Town Line (Townline) Lake (DOW# 11-0190, Lake Class 39) is a 698-acre lake with 698 littoral acres, 8.29 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 11 feet located north of Longville, MN. Town Line Lake is within the Chippawa National Forest and the Leech Lake Indian Reservation (LLIR) and is co-managed by MN DNR and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe's Division of Resource Management (DRM). A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) owned public access is located on the west shore. The majority of the shoreline is publicly owned. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Town Line Lake is in lake class 39; lakes in this class typically have a high percentage of littoral area (water depths less than 15 feet deep). Other area lakes in lake class 39 include Big Portage and Mabel. This lake is primarily managed for Bluegill, Black Crappie, and Largemouth Bass and secondarily for Northern Pike and Walleye. Partial winterkills are reported and were confirmed in the winters of 1995-1996, 2014-2015, and 2018-2019. There is the potential that more have occurred and remained undocumented. Town Line Lake offers angling opportunity for Northern Pike and occasionally for quality Yellow Perch. One Bluegill and two Black Crappie were sampled, failing to meet management goals in the most recent survey. Low Bluegill and Black Crappie numbers are likely due to recent winterkill events. No Largemouth were caught in this survey. In the past Largemouth Bass have been stocked following winter kill events. Northern Pike were abundant exceeding the management goal and ranged in length from 12 to 32 inches with an average length of 20 inches long. Anglers are encouraged to harvest Northern Pike under 22 inches long. No Walleye were sampled in this survey. Yellow Perch were present and small in size averaging 6 inches long and ranging in length from 5 to 10 inches. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. Currently Town Line Lake is infested with Eurasian Watermilfoil. Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) are moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local natural resource office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Walker Area Fisheries office.

Town Line Lake is a 698-acre lake with 8.29 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 11 feet located north of Longville, MN. A DNR owned public access is located on the west shore. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Town Line is in Lake Class 39; lakes in this class are generally shallow with a high percentage of the basin less than 15 feet deep, and have a regular-shaped shoreline, with few bays or points. Other area lakes in this class include Big Portage and Mabel. This lake is primarily managed for Bluegill, Black Crappie, and Largemouth Bass and secondarily for Northern Pike and Walleye. Town Line is infested with Eurasian Watermilfoil. A partial winterkill was reported in 2014-2015 and this was confirmed by the ages of fish sampled, as strong natural year classes with fast growth rates are often produced following a partial winterkill. This event also explains the relatively high abundance and smaller size distribution of some species such as Bluegill and Northern Pike. Bluegill abundance was high. However, Bluegills were small in size with an average length of 4 inches and no fish were sampled over 8 inches. Black Crappie abundance was moderate. Average size was 6 inches, but fish up to 13 inches were sampled. Largemouth Bass abundance was comparable to previous surveys, with an average size of 14 inches. Northern Pike were abundant with an average length and weight of 21 inches and 1.9 pounds. Fish up to 33 inches were sampled. No Walleye were sampled in this survey. Walleye fry were stocked in 2017 and 2018 to take advantage of the change in the fish community following the partial winterkill. Walleye stocking following winterkill can be very successful at providing short term, robust populations comprised of one or two year classes of fish. However, these are not sustainable over the long-term because of their dependence on winterkill events for subsequent fry stockings to be successful. Other fish species that anglers can expect to encounter include Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, and Yellow Perch. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. To date, Eurasian Watermilfoil has been identified in Town Line Lake. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local natural resource office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Walker Area Fisheries office.

Townline Lake has an area of 510 acres and is located near Longville, MN. Townline Lake has 6.7 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 11 feet. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Townline Lake is in Lake Class 39; lakes in this class are generally shallow, regularly shaped lakes. This lake is primarily managed for northern pike and bluegill and secondarily for largemouth bass and black crappie. Fish population surveys have been conducted by the MNDNR in 1974, 1985, 1990, 1995 and 1998. The current survey was done in 2001. During the winter of 1995-96 a winterkill was reported on Townline Lake. DNR biologist sampled the lake in 1996 with gill nets and electroshocking gears and collected several northern pike and a golden shiner. Partial winterkills were also reported in 1962 and 1971. In an attempt to reestablish the fish population in Townline Lake the DNR stocked walleye fry in 1996 and adult largemouth bass, bluegill and black crappie in 1997. Additionally, Leach Lake Reservation biologists stocked adult yellow perch in 1997. Northern pike were very abundant in Townline Lake. Northern pike sampled by the DNR ranged between 10.4 and 35.6 inches; the average length was 20.3 inches. The northern pike sampled in 2001 were very plump. Bluegills ranging in size from 2.8 to 8.5 inches were sampled by the DNR during the 2001 survey. Similar to the northern pike catch rates, bluegill catch rates in Townline Lake were the highest on record in 2001. The modal length group of bluegills sampled in DNR trap nets was 3.0-3.5 inches. Though most bluegill sampled were small, they were very plump indicating that the food supply in Townline Lake is more than adequate. Since the winterkill in 1995-96 the largemouth bass population has slowly been rebuilding. In 1998 no largemouth bass were collected and in 2001 two fish were collected. Electrofishing, which is a more effective tool for sampling bass, indicated a fairly abundant population in 1999. No electrofishing was conducted in 2001. The yellow perch population has been stable since surveys were first conducted in 1974. Yellow perch ranged in size from 4.4 to 15.0 inches. Similar to largemouth bass, very few black crappie were sampled in the 2001 survey. In 2001 four black crappie were collected ranging in size from 6.2 to 12.2 inches. Rock bass were collected for the first time in Townline Lake during the 2001 survey; one fish in the DNR trap nets. The pumpkinseed population shows the most noticeable change since surveys were started in 1974. Gill net catch rates have steadily declined from 1985 to 2001. Anglers can help maintain or improve the quality of fishing by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest allows for the harvest of smaller fish for table fare, but encourages release of medium- to large-sized fish. Releasing these fish can help maintain balance in the fish community in Long Lake and provide anglers the opportunity to catch more and larger fish in the future. Shoreline areas on the land and into the shallow water provide essential habitat for fish and wildlife that live in or near Minnesota's lakes. Overdeveloped shorelines can't support the fish, wildlife, and clean water that are associated with natural undeveloped lakes. The combined effects of all lakeshore owners "fixing up" their property can destroy a lake's valuable natural shorelines. Shoreline habitat consists of aquatic plants, woody plants and natural lake bottom soils. Plants in the water and at the water's edge provide habitat, prevent erosion and absorb excess nutrients. Shrubs, trees, and woody debris such as fallen trees or limbs provide good habitat both above and below the water and should be left in place. Natural lake bottom materials like silt or gravel are more ecologically productive than pure sand trucked in for a swimming beach. A tidy lawn and a sandy beach make great spots for sunbathing and swimming but do little to provide habitat for fish and wildlife. By leaving a buffer strip of natural vegetation along the shoreline, property owners can reduce erosion, help maintain water quality, and provide habitat and travel corridors for wildlife. Only if more lakeshore owners manage their shoreline in a natural condition can fish and wildlife populations on Minnesota lakes remain healthy and abundant. More specific information on protecting or restoring shorelines and watersheds is available through the local DNR Fisheries office.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Walleye, and Yellow Perch in Town Line. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Town Line. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Town Line has a maximum depth of 11 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Town Line is from 2023.

Yes — Town Line has confirmed Eurasian watermilfoil. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.