Bowen Lake
Cass County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 11035000
DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Bowen Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (49,020 fish).
- Bowen Lake has 6 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2025): walleye (6).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 273,250 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 25 ft; surface area 182 acres, 49 littoral acres, 2.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Cass County, nearest town Backus; DNR lake number (DOW) 11035000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 49,020 | 0.4 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 49,950 | 0.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 49,025 | 0.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 50,320 | 0.4 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 49,950 | 0.4 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 24,985 | 0.2 |
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Backus then 1 mile South and .5 mile East. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 43.83 | 263 | 0.14 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 12.67 | 76 | 2.06 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 2.83 | 17 | 1.49 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 6 | 0.28 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 2.47 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.74 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.50 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.26 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 8.33 | 75 | 0.29 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.26 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 4.12 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.27 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.15 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.39 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.63 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Bowen Lake (DOW # 11-0350, Lake Class 31) is 176-acres with a maximum depth of 25 feet and 49 littoral acres (less than 15 feet deep) located one mile southeast of Backus, Minnesota. Bowen Lake is on the Pine River a state Water Trail Canoe Route. There is a Minnesota DNR-owned public access on the south shore a half mile east of State Highway 371. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Bowen Lake is in Lake Class 31. Lakes in this class are generally clear, moderately productive, and moderately deep. Other area lakes in this classification include Child (DOW# 11-0263, Lake Class 31), Widow (DOW# 11-0273, Lake Class 31), and Five Point Lake (DOW# 11-0351, Lake Class 31). Bowen Lake is primarily managed for Bluegill, Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass and Walleye with secondary management species being Northern Pike, Tullibee (Cisco) and Yellow Perch. Bluegill abundance is moderate and met the management goal. Bluegill lengths ranged from 4 to 9 inches with many quality-sized fish present. Black Crappie were sampled in low numbers with lengths ranging from 10 to 12 inches. Past surveys have sampled low numbers of Largemouth Bass, but none were caught in 2024. Walleye abundance was below the management goal of four fish per gillnet despite fry stocking. Lengths ranged from 7-28 inches with an average length of 15 inches. Northern Pike are abundant exceeding the maximum management goal. Sampled Northern Pike averaged 21 inches long with fish 13 to 28 inches present. Anglers are encouraged to harvest the abundant Northern Pike less than 22 inches long in this lake. Yellow Perch are abundant meeting the management goal; sizes are generally small with few fish 8 inches or longer sampled. Other fish species found in 2024 were Bowfin (Dogfish), Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Rock Bass, White Sucker and Yellow Bullhead. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. Bowen lake is listed as infested with Starry Stonewort an aquatic invasive species (AIS) which was discovered in 2022 at the access site. AIS are moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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