Dower

Dower Lake is a small, 79-acre lake located just west of the town of Staples. There is a public boat access and fishing pier on the east side of the lake as well as camping, picnic area and swimming beach. The fishery in Dower Lake is generally comprised of Bluegill, Northern Pike, Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass. All species are common and can provide decent fishing opportunities from the pier, from shore or from a boat. Walleyes were stocked in the 1980s but not since that time. Future stocking of Walleyes will be considered if fish are available. Overall, gamefish and panfish average size tends to be on the smaller side but there are large bass and pike in the lake. Water clarity is good and submerged vegetation is abundant.

Daytime electrofishing was performed on Dower Lake on June 20, 2018. This sampling was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of daytime shocking in assessing bass and panfish populations on this smaller basin. Due to its small size Dower is a relatively low priority lake for intensive sampling with gill nets and trap nets. Sampling in 2018 consisted of 0.67 hours of on-time effort while traveling around the entire shoreline in varying depths and distances from shore. Very few fish were observed during this assessment as only 8 Largemouth Bass and a single Black Crappie were netted and measured. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 6.5 to 12.1 inches. A low number of Bowfin and a single Northern Pike were seen but not netted. Bluegill and Pumpkinseed were also observed in fair numbers but few appeared to exceed 5 inches. If future attempts are made to assess Dower Lake via daytime electrofishing it may prove more effective to sample earlier in the season.

Dower Lake is a small (79 acres), shallow body of water that provides fishing opportunities for the residents of Staples as well as other anglers. Bluegill are the most sought after species in the lake with some anglers also looking for northern pike, largemouth bass, and black crappies. Bluegill abundance was within the normal range when compared to similar type lakes but the average size was small. Few of the bluegills seen in the survey were over 7 inches in length. Northern pike numbers appear to have declined and the average size improved. In the last survey no pike over 24 inches were caught while this survey caught some fish up to 28 inches. Anglers are encouraged to harvest northern pike under 21 inches and release the larger fish to maintain a healthy pike population of fast growing individuals by reducing competition for food. Most of the largemouth bass and crappies that were seen in the survey were small by most anglers standards. The bass were all under 12 inches and the crappies 8 inches and less. Bass up to 17 inches have been documented in previous assessments. There are still a few walleye in Dower Lake and for anglers lucky enough to catch one, the fish is likely to be a big one. Walleye stocking was discontinued in 1989 due to poor survival of the fingerlings. Yellow perch abundance has been low in Dower since 1984 which is likely due to the high northern pike population. Higher perch numbers are desired as they can be an important factor in good northern pike and bluegill growth rates. All three species of bullheads were caught during the survey with yellow bullheads being more abundant than the black or brown bullheads. The average size for both the black and brown bullheads was near 11 inches while the yellow bullheads averaged around 9 inches. Dower Lake does have an old railroad structure on the northeast side of the lake that serves as a fishing pier. The City of Staples is seeking funds to repair the structure. The City also owns and maintains a park/campground on the east side of the lake. The park has a softball diamond and swimming beach as well as a picnic area. The campground has 47 campsites of which 19 have electricity. Much of the lake has a wide cattail fringe along the lake shore. Developement has increased along the west shore with the subdivision of the property there. Proper land use practices are encouraged in the watershed and by lakeshore owners to protect and maintain the good water quality and fish habitat in the lake. Information on shoreline regulations, restoration, and best management practices can be found at the Todd County Planning and Zoning website as well as the DNR website. www.co.todd.mn.us/PlanningZoning/planning.htm and www.dnr.state.mn.us

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

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Dower. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Dower has a maximum depth of 34 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Dower is from 2020.

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