North Brown's Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 73014700
DNR records show 13 stocking entries at North Brown's Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (1,114 fish).
- North Brown's Lake has 13 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2025): walleye (13).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,098,009 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 41 ft, mean depth 18 ft; surface area 312 acres, 130 littoral acres, 2.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 6 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Stearns County, nearest town Eden Valley; DNR lake number (DOW) 73014700.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/19/1957 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,114 | 50.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 114 | 142.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 15 | 11.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,271 | 93.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,760 | 44.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | yearlings | 340 | 85.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.6 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.2 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,390 | 212.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 898 | 59.5 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 107 | 159.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 260,000 | 2.4 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 310,000 | 3.0 |
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 | The state owned public access is located on the northeast shore across from Long Lake Access. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 25.25 | 202 | 0.11 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 24.12 | 193 | 0.30 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 17.75 | 142 | 2.20 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 16.50 | 132 | 0.19 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 4.62 | 37 | 1.98 |
| Channel catfish | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 24 | 7.58 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.75 | 6 | 0.89 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 4 | 0.09 |
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.
North Browns is a 324-acre lake located five miles north of Eden Valley in southern Stearns County. It has a maximum depth of 41 feet and a large watershed dominated by agriculture. . The lake is primarily managed for Walleye and has a public access is located on the northeast end of the lake. This survey was conducted to update the fisheries data last collected in 2018. Anglers can expect good fishing for Northern Pike, Walleye, and panfish. Very few emergent and floating-leaf plants were found when last surveyed in 2018, less than one acre and 5.9% of the shoreline. Submergent plants were not surveyed, but coontail and Canada waterweed were dominant species in previous plant surveys. Water clarity was better than the last survey; Secchi depth was 9.0 feet in June and dissolved oxygen was adequate to support fish to 19 feet. The Walleye population had been managed through fry stocking since 2003; however, since fry survival has been poor fry stocking was discontinued after 2021. The Walley population is now manged through fingerling stocking. Walleye numbers were the highest on record in 2024, but within the range of expected values for the lakes similar to North Brown's. Walleye sampled ranged in length from 10 to 27 inches with an average length and weight of 18 inches and 2 pounds. Ninety-seven percent of Walleye collected were 10 inches or longer, with 78%being 15 inches or longer and 31% being 20 inches or longer. Walleye ages ranged from two to 13 years old, and growth was faster than the statewide average, but similar to the Sauk Rapids Area average, taking 3 years to reach 16 inches. High Northern Pike numbers likely limit Walleye survival. Northern Pike numbers have always been high with past catches ranging from 5.3 to 19.2/gill net with long-term average of 14.7/gill net. The Northern Pike catch in 2024 was higher than both 2018 and 2013 and exceeded the expected range of values for lakes similar to North Brown's. Northern Pike ranged in length from 13 to 33 inches with an average length and weight of 21 inches and 2 pounds. Ninety-nine percent of Pike sampled were 14 inches or longer, with 14% being 26 inches or longer and 4% being 30 inches or longer. Black Crappie numbers were higher than the last survey in 2018 and nearly double the long-term average. Lengths ranged from 4 to 12 inches with an average length of eight inches. Forty-nine percent of Black Crappie sampled were eight inches or longer and 12% were 10 inches or longer. Bluegill were also sampled in the gillnets and ranged in length from 4 to 9 inches with an average length of…
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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