Brawner

Brawner Lake is located within Camden State Park in Lyon County. The reservoir was constructed in 1952 from an abandoned gravel pit. In 1996 Brawner Lake was drained in order to make repairs to the outlet structure. Largemouth bass, bluegill, and some black crappie were stocked after refilling. The reservoir is managed primarily for largemouth bass and bluegill. The lake typically has abundant vegetation and is a destination for park users. A population assessment was conducted during the week of July 5, 2007 using 9 trap nets and one hour of electrofishing in May to assess the largemouth bass population. The catch rate for bluegill was 20.7 fish/trap net, which was much lower than the previous 2000 resurvey (152.3 fish/trap net). Total lengths ranged from 3.0 to 8.0 inches, but averaged only 4.9 inches. Despite the fact that the average length fish was about 5 inches, there were more "keepers" than in the 2000 survey. Bluegill often over-populate lakes when aquatic vegetation is very abundant. Often times Brawner Lake has a high density of submergent vegetation and better water clarity than we find in most other Windom Area lakes. Despite the fact that bluegill numbers are down from the previous survey, there were more different sizes, which suggests some "keepers" can be caught. All of the lakeshore on Brawner can be accessed by the public, which provides a great opportunity for introducing young anglers to fishing. This is definitely a fishery worth trying if you are looking for some bluegill action for kids. The largemouth bass numbers are higher than the 2000 survey and good numbers of all sized fish. The electrofishing catch rate for largemouth bass was 103 fish/hour, which is quite good. Total lengths for largemouth ranged from 6.0 to 20.7 inches and averaged 11.6 inches. Length at age information revealed consistent natural reproduction as 9 year classes of largemouth were sampled. Often times when a lake has good numbers of largemouth bass, the fish are quite aggressive and can be easy to catch at times. This fishery provides a great opportunity to teach anglers how to fish for largemouth bass because of the likelihood of catching good numbers of bass. Many times top water fishing for bass can get anglers passionate about fishing. Due to the high density of aquatic vegetation, aggressive nature of largemouth bass at times, and the ease of fishing access, Brawner Lake should be a destination for the family or just to find a few fish and peace and quiet. Efforts to improve the health of the lake should focus on best management practices within the watershed. Improvements and education in land stewardship will often have secondary benefits to the lake in the way of quality and quantity of habitat. Generally, improvements in the quality and quantity of lake habitat will mean direct improvements of the fishery. Prepared by Ryan Doorenbos

Brawner lake is a 28 acre impoundment located in Camden State Park in Lyon County. The lake was constructed in 1952 from an abandoned gravel pit to serve as a fishing lake and rearing pond for the local area. In 1996, dam safety considerations necessitated draining the lake to make repairs to the dike and outlet structure. Brawner is presently managed for largemouth bass and bluegill as the primary species while black crappie are managed secondarily. The lake was stocked with 12 adult largemouth bass and 150 adult bluegill in 1997. Black crappie and additional bluegill were stocked in 1998.The largemouth bass electrofishing catch rate of 370.8 fish per hour and the trapnet catch rate of 6.8 were high for lakes similar to Brawner. The electrofishing catch rate in 1996 was 109.0 fish per hour. Lengths of largemouth bass sampled electrofishing ranged from 5.9 to 18.2 inches and averaged 7.3 inches. The largemouth bass population was dominated by age 2 fish (76% of the fish collected electrofishing). The strong year class occurred one year after the adult largemouth bass were introduced in 1997. The condition of the largemouth bass population was very poor as the average weight of largemouth sampled electrofishing was only 0.15 pounds. The high largemouth bass population along with the dense vegetation may have contributed to the poor largemouth bass condition. The long range goal of 20 fish per hour of electrofishing has been surpassed, however the condition of the population needs to be improved. Some largemouth bass have been removed and stocked in area lakes in an attempt to lower numbers and increase the condition factor of the population.The bluegill trapnet catch rate of 152.2 was high for lakes similar to Brawner, and was up from the 22.8 found in 1991. Lengths of bluegill sampled in trapnets ranged from 4.3 to 9.2 inches and averaged 6.0 inches.

BLG AND LMB WERE STOCKED IN BRAWNER LAKE IN 1988, AFTER RECLAMATION. SOME REPRODUCTION OF BOTH SPECIES OCCURRED THE SAME YEAR. RECRUITMENT OF BOTH SPECIES IS LOW, HOWEVER, WITH NO 2+ FISH CAPTURED FROM EITHER SPECIES THIS SURVEY. NO YOY BLG WERE OBSERVED IN 1991. BLB NUMBERS ARE INCREASING, DESPITE THE RECLAMATION EFFORT. IN 1988, A SINGLE BLB WAS FOUND DURING THE SURVEY. THIS YEAR, 50 BLH WERE COLLECTED; ALMOST ALL OVER 9 INCHES. THIS MAY BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEMPT BIOLOGICAL CONTROL BY INTRODUCING LARGE BLH PREDATORS. CPUE FOR LMB WAS 7.7 FISH PER HOUR ELECTROFISHING. THIS IS PROBABLY AN UNDERESTIMATE OF FISH DENSITY DUE TO HEAVY VEGETATION.

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

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

Brawner has a maximum depth of 18 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Brawner is from 2006. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

No invasive species are on record for Brawner in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.