North Union

North Union, Stony, and Lottie (Taylor) lakes form a chain of lakes between Brophy and Cowdry Lakes in Douglas County. North Union Lake is the upper or first lake in this chain of interconnected lakes. Brophy Lake discharges into North Union. North Union outlets to Stony Lake. None of these three small basins have public landings, but anglers can utilize access sites on Cowdry and Brophy Lakes and navigate small watercraft throughout the chain via flowage channels. Access to these lakes with larger, high profile boats is constrained by bridge crossings and road culverts. The lakes in this chain are small and relatively unique in that shoreline development has been limited and much of the natural shoreline remains intact. Water quality and clarity are very good. Water transparency at time of the August survey was measured at 19.0 feet. Near-shore areas support lush vegetative growth including bulrushes and water lilies. These habitat characteristics are ideal for Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Bluegill. Bluegills are abundant in North Union and accounted for most of the total gamefish catch. Average size of Bluegills caught in trap nets was 6.8 inches. The largest Bluegill captured measured 8.4 inches. Ten percent of the total catch of Bluegills were 8.0 inches and larger. Black Crappie catches were low, but crappies are typically difficult to catch in mid-summer surveys. Crappies are anticipated to be more abundant than reflected in survey catch statistics. The largest Black Crappie caught in the survey was 10.1 inches long. Northern Pike are abundant in North Union Lake, though most of the fish caught in the survey were small. Average length of pike captures was 19.6 inches long. Navigation restrictions prevented access with an electrofishing boat to survey the Largemouth Bass population. Only a few Largemouth Bass were caught in the survey nets. Habitat conditions are excellent for Largemouth Bass and this popular gamefish is projected to be abundant. Anglers and other outdoor recreationists looking for a quiet lake should check out the North Union, Stony, and Lottie lake chain. This chain of lakes provides a remote lake setting in close proximity to the city of Alexandria. Lake Brophy County Park is currently in development and will encompass the West side of North Union Lake. Contact the Douglas County Park Division for more info on this county park. North Union Lake was designated as an infested water in 2011 after discovery of zebra mussels in upstream lakes. Recreational users should take necessary precautions to prevent further spread of invasive species. Drain all water and remove all aquatic vegetation from your boat and trailer when leaving any body of water. Updated information on invasive species infestations can be found on the MN DNR website.

North Union, Stony, and Lottie (Taylor) lakes form a chain of lakes between Brohpy and Cowdry Lakes in Douglas County. Union Lake is the first or upstream basin in the chain. None of basins have public landings, but anglers can utilize access sites on Cowdry and Brophy Lakes and navigate small watercraft throughout the chain of lakes via flowage channels. Large boats will be restricted by road crossings and undersized road culverts. The lakes are small and relatively unique in that shoreline development is limited and much of the natural shoreline remains intact. Water quality and clarity are very good. Near-shore areas of each lake contain lush vegetative growth including bulrushes and water lilies. Habitat attributes constitute ideal environment for northern pike, largemouth bass, and bluegill sunfish. Northern pike are abundant. Gillnet catch averaged 6.8/gillnet. Average size of pike captured in 2007 was about 20.0 inches, but individuals approaching 30.0 inches were measured. Pike do not grow fast in probable response to high summer water temperatures and limited yellow perch abundance. Anglers are encouraged to harvest "hammer-handle" pike to thin the population and promote a balanced fish community. Bluegill accounted for most of the total gamefish catch. Population abundance is described as "moderate". Size distribution of the population sample was fairly good. Average size of 2008 survey catches was 6.2 inches. A few 8.0 inch and larger bluegill were recorded. Navigation restrictions prevented utilization of electrofishing equipment to sample the largemouth bass population in 2008. Habitat is excellent and prior survey statistics have described a moderately abundant population. Growth is relatively slow, so most bass are 12.0 - 15.0 inches in length. Yellow and black bullhead carry unique importance in terms of water quality. Yellow bullheads prefer and do best in lakes with good water quality, while an abundant black bullhead population is indicative of poor water quality conditions. Presently, the North Union/Stony/Lottie chain has a survey catch ratio of about 2:1 yellow to black bullheads. Black bullhead abundance can be projected to increase should cumulative pressures of land use, shoreline development, and recreational boating increase. Thoughtful, low-impact residential development practices and environmentally-sensitive surface water use will help to ensure long-term sustainability of these quality lakes. Those anglers without boats can still enjoy fishing Brohpy, Stony, and North Union lakes. The Central Lakes Trail crosses portions of shorelines of these three lakes. It's a fairly short hike or bike ride from downtown Alexandria.

North Union Lake is a small, relatively shallow basin in a chain of three small lakes that connect Lake Brophy to Lake Cowdry. The other lakes in this chain include Stoney and Lottie. Total surface acreage of the three lakes is 253 acres. The three lakes are treated as one in terms of fish management. Management activities on this chain of lakes have been limited to periodic fish population surveys. The Division of Fisheries has not stocked fish into any of these lakes because there is no legal public access. Access to these lakes must be gained through culverts from lakes Brophy and Cowdry. Culvert size and water level can restrict the size of boats that can access these lakes.All three lakes support abundant and diverse aquatic plant communities. Submergent vegetation is dense in most shallow areas and the shoreline is fringed with common cattail. These lakes also support beds of hardstem bulrush and wild rice. Water lily is also common throughout the three lakes. These aquatic plants provide valuable fish habitat and help maintain water quality in lakes.The fish communities present in these three lakes are quite similar and typical of small, densely vegetated lakes in west-central Minnesota. Northern pike, largemouth bass, and sunfish provide most of the fishing opportunities in this chain of lakes. These species are all relatively abundant, but average size tends to be small. Anglers tend to target these lakes when high winds force them off of the larger lakes. Anglers also fish for black crappie on these lakes in the spring, prior to the walleye opener. Walleye likely move throughout the chain from the other lakes and are present in low numbers.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Northern Pike, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Rock Bass, and Black Crappie in North Union. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

North Union has a maximum depth of 42 feet and a mean depth of 5 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in North Union is from 2018. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

Yes — North Union has confirmed zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.