Bowen Lake

Bowen Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Minnesota lake of its size and depth. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Bowen Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. A maximum depth of 25 ft puts Bowen Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. At 182 acres, Bowen Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 2.3 miles of shoreline. Bowen Lake ranks 120 of 133 in Cass County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

Bowen Lake is on the Minnesota infested-waters list for zebra mussels — boaters should follow clean-drain-dry protocols when moving gear to or from the lake. Walleye are documented at Bowen Lake, one of 14 fish species on record for the lake. A documented public access point at Bowen Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been recorded 7 times at Bowen Lake, with a median around Apr 15. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.