Stowe

Stowe Lake is a 377-acre shallow, productive basin located two miles northwest of Brandon in Douglas County. Mean and maximum depths are 10 and 14 feet, respectively. This basin receives inflows from Hoplin and Wolf Creeks and outflows to the west branch of the Chippewa River. Water quality and clarity can be seasonally poor in response to algae blooms stimulated by excessive nutrient levels that come from a large, predominantly agricultural watershed. Residential development surrounding the lake is moderate. A public access with limited parking is located on the west shoreline. A standard MN DNR lake survey was completed in summer 2025 to assess the fish community of Stowe Lake. Survey results indicated that habitat conditions and the corresponding fish community have changed substantially over the past few decades. In the late 1990s, this basin was turbid and submerged aquatic plants were sparse. The fish community was dominated by Black Bullheads and other underutilized species. Habitat conditions have improved (i.e., more abundant submerged aquatic plants), which has led to expansion and increased diversity of gamefish populations and a drastic reduction in Black Bullhead abundance. Net catches in 2025 indicated that Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Walleye populations were all doing well. Growth rates of most fishes in Stowe Lake are rapid due to the high fertility of this basin. Consequently, gamefish populations are often skewed towards larger fish. The one exception in 2025 was the Walleye population. Most Walleyes sampled were young fish from the 2022 and 2023 year classes. Mean size (13.7 inches and 1.0 pounds) was on the smaller side, but Walleye size structure will improve as these young fish grow into sizes desired by anglers. Yellow Perch are also present, but numbers of harvestable fish are relatively low. Other fish species sampled during the 2025 survey include Black, Brown, and Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp, Freshwater Drum, hybrid sunfish, and White Sucker. The next standard MN DNR lake survey is tentatively scheduled for 2031. Stowe Lake is designated as an infested waterbody due to the presence of zebra mussels. Adult zebra mussels were first confirmed in 2017. See https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/index.html for more information regarding aquatic invasive species.

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community was conducted on August 15, 2019 by Fisheries Lake IBI program staff. Nearshore sampling stations were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 10 stations. A 50-foot seine was used to sample eight stations and a 15-foot seine was used at two stations. The nearshore sampling captured 17 native fish species including two species (Blacknose Shiner, and Iowa Darter) intolerant of habitat disturbance and four species (Black Bullhead, Common Carp, and Fathead Minnow) that are tolerant of disturbance. Data from this targeted nearshore survey and trap net survey is combined with data from a standard gill netting survey to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) score that describes the overall health of the lake. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. The FIBI score for Stowe Lake based on this survey is above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Chippewa River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Stowe Lake is a 376-acre shallow, productive basin located two miles northwest of Brandon in Douglas County. Mean and maximum depths are 10 and 14 feet, respectively. This basin receives inflows from Hoplin and Wolf creeks and outflows to the west branch of the Chippewa River. Water quality and clarity have improved in recent years, but can be seasonally poor in response to algae blooms stimulated by excessive nutrient levels that come from a large, predominantly agricultural watershed. Residential development surrounding the lake is minimal. A public access with limited parking is located on the west shoreline. A standard MN DNR lake survey was completed in summer 2019 to assess the fish community of Stowe Lake. Survey results indicated that habitat conditions and the corresponding fish community have changed substantially over the past few decades. In the late 1990s, this basin was turbid and submerged aquatic plants were sparse. These harsh habitat conditions were not conducive to gamefish survival. The fish community was dominated by Black Bullheads and other underutilized species. Habitat conditions (i.e., clearer water and more diverse submerged aquatic plants) have greatly improved in recent years, which has led to expansion of gamefish populations and a drastic reduction in Black Bullhead abundance. Further changes in habitat conditions and the fish community are probable with an infestation of zebra mussels in 2017. For more information regarding zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species in Minnesota see the following: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquatic/index.html In 2019, record-high numbers of Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Walleye were captured in gill nets. Spring electrofishing efforts also produced record-high numbers of Largemouth Bass. Northern Pike and Yellow Perch were also collected in gill nets but relative abundance of these species has declined in recent years. Growth rates of most fishes in Stowe Lake are rapid due to the high fertility of this basin. Consequently, gamefish populations are often skewed towards larger fish. The one exception in 2019 was the Walleye population. Most Walleyes sampled were young fish from a strong 2017 year class. Mean size (13.6 inches and 1.0 pounds) was on the smaller side but angler reports indicate this fishery was extremely popular during the first few weeks of the 2019 season. Walleye size structure will improve in the near future as fish from the 2017 year class grow older. Other fish species sampled during the 2019 survey include Bigmouth Buffalo, Black, Brown, and Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp, Freshwater Drum, and White Sucker. The next standard MN DNR lake survey is tentatively scheduled for 2025.

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

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

Stowe has a maximum depth of 14 feet and a mean depth of 10 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Stowe is from 2025.

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