Brown Lake

St. Louis County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 69083900

Brown Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.

• Brown Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of September 2, 2026.
• Maximum depth 27 ft; surface area 72 acres, 39 littoral acres, 2.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.0 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: northern pike, yellow perch.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 16, 2024 (standard survey).
• St. Louis County, nearest town International Falls; DNR lake number (DOW) 69083900.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/15/1971 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2024

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.

Brown is a 76-acre, Class 10 lake in the interior of Voyageurs National Park (VNP), accessible by portage trail from Rainy Lake. Brown Lake has soft water, low fertility and low productivity. Brown Lake is 26 feet deep, and thermos stratification is common during the summer months resulting in low dissolved oxygen levels at deeper depths. The shoreline is undeveloped, except for the trailhead and a primitive campsite. Brown Lake has a simple fish community dominated by Northern Pike. A standard survey was completed in Brown Lake in mid-July of 2024. VNP maintains one primitive campsite located on the south-east shore of Brown Lake. To access the campsite, users must travel 20 miles by watercraft to Anderson Bay on Rainy Lake and hike 2.7 miles on the Cruiser trail. Alternatively, users can access the campsite from Kabetogama which requires a 6-mile boat ride followed by a 5.5-mile hike on the Cruiser trail. Campsite usage on Brown Lake is relatively low with around 20 reservations. A canoe is available at the campsite, and starting in 2025, all campsite reservations will include canoe usage without the need to book one separately. To prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species and exotic viruses, anglers are only allowed to use artificial baits. In addition, no privately-owned watercraft (boats, canoes, kayaks, etc.) or float planes are allowed on interior lakes such as Brown Lake. Brown Lake has no special regulations aside from VNP's artificial only regulation. Fishing regulations follow statewide regulations of inland waters. Previous management plans identify several long-range goals, including providing a self-sustaining native fish community with Northern Pike as the primary management species. Northern Pike gill net catch rate was 5.8 fish per net, which was above average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 12.8 to 25.9 inches with an average length of 20.2 inches. A total of six year-classes were present and ages ranged from 1 to 6 years. Northern Pike growth rates are below average compared to other lakes in the area, but Brown Lake still provides a good opportunity for anglers looking for remote fishing experience. Yellow Perch were the only other species sampled during this survey and are typically sampled in very low numbers. Yellow Perch catch rate was 1.0 fish per net, which was below average compared to similar lakes. Total length ranged from 5.9 to 6.9 inches with an average length of 6.3 inches. A total of 3 year-classes were present and ages ranged from 3 to 5 years. Yellow Perch offer an additional fishing…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 16, 2024.

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