Vails

Vails Lake (aka Mud Lake) is a 151-acre lake located just north of Eden Valley in southern Stearns County. It has a maximum depth of 20 feet. It is the first in a series of lakes which outlet northward to the Sauk River chain of lakes. The watershed is large and dominated by agriculture, pasture, and development. A public access and fishing pier are located on the south end of the lake. Vails Lake is managed primarily for Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and panfish and anglers can expect good fishing for these species. This survey was conducted to update the fisheries data last collected in 2018. No emergent or floating-leaf vegetation survey was conducted in 2024; however, in 2018 emergent and floating-leaf vegetation were sparse, covering only 1% of the lake area, but 31% of the shoreline. Submergent vegetation was also not surveyed in 2024, but in 2013 coontail and sago pondweed were abundant. Curly-leaf pondweed can be abundant in spring and early summer. Water clarity was moderate in mid-June, showing an improvement in water clarity since the last survey in 2018. Northern Pike numbers have been increasing in recent surveys and their size remains good. Current results were similar to 2018 and within the range of expected values for lakes like Vails. Pike lengths ranged from 13 to 36 inches with an average length and weight of 21 inches and 3 pounds. Ninety-eight percent of Northern Pike sampled were over 14 inches, with 22%over 26 inches and 8% over 30 inches. The DNR does not stock Vails Lake with Walleye ; however, the Eden Valley Sportsmen's Club has been stocking Walleye fingerlings annually since 2011. The Walleye catch in 2024 was back within the expected range of values for lakes like Vails and higher than 2018. Walleye lengths ranged from 11 to 17 inches with an average length and weight of 13 inches and 1 pound. Northern Pike numbers are likely affecting walleye fingerling survival, but the stocking rate is also low. All of the walleye captured were from the 2021, 2022, and 2023 year classes with average growth for the Sauk Rapids Area, taking 3 years to reach 17 inches. The Yellow Perch catch in 2024 was higher than the previous two surveysc(2013 and 2018), but similar to the long-term average for the lake. Perch lengths ranged from 5 to 9 inches with an average length of 6 inches. Channel Catfish have recently become established in Vails Lake as well as other lakes connected to the Sauk River Chain of Lakes. Channel Catfish were first captured in 2013 and again in 2018. but none were captured during the 2024 survey. Catfish were historically large, so it is possible that the majority of the population has reached a size that would not be easily captured in our gill nets. Black Crappie numbers decreased from 2018, but were within the expected range of values for lakes like Vails. Crappie were small, with lengths ranging from 4 to 7 inches with a mean length of five inches. Other species sampled included: Bluegill, Brown Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, and White Sucker

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community in Vails Lake was conducted by Fisheries Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff starting June 17, 2019. Ten sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 15-foot or 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all ten sites with one site sampled from the boat due to site conditions. A 50-foot seine was used to sample six sites, a 15-foot seine was used at two sites, and soft sediments with abundant vegetation and deep water prevented the use of seines at two sampling sites. Nearshore sampling captured 12 native species of fish including one species that is intolerant of disturbance (Iowa Darter) and two species that are tolerant of disturbance (Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). Data from this targeted nearshore survey is combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 2018 standard survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) score. 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. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Iowa Darter, Mimic Shiner, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). 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. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey provides supporting evidence that the fish community in Vails Lake is adversely impacted by stressors as indicated by an FIBI score near 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 Sauk River Watershed assessment of surface waters process completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community in Vails Lake was conducted on August 7-8, 2018 by Fisheries Lake IBI program staff. 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, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 10 stations. A 50-foot seine was used to sample seven stations and a 15-foot seine was used to sample three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 20 native species of fish including one species that is intolerant of habitat disturbance (Iowa Darter) and four tolerant species (Black Bullhead, Common Carp, Fathead Minnow, and Green Sunfish). Data from this targeted nearshore survey is combined with data from standard gill and trap netting surveys to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) 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 Vails Lake based on this survey is just above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar shallow lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Sauk River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, and Bluegill in Vails. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Vails has a maximum depth of 20 feet and a mean depth of 8.6 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Vails is from 2024.

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