Town Lake

How big is Town Lake?

How deep is Town Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Town Lake?

What are the closest cities to Town Lake?

Are there boat launches on Town Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Town Lake?

Town Lake is a relatively shallow, eutrophic lake that is subject to partial winterkills of some fish species. Even though dissolved oxygen levels dropped to critical levels throughout much of the lake during harsh winters in 1993, 1994, and 1996, the fish community structure did not reflect any severe, recent winterkill. It is likely that year round inflow from Acorn Lake provided a refuge area for some fish during the stressful periods.

Test netting during June, 2007, continued to show abundant populations of bluegill, pumpkinseed, northern pike, and yellow bullhead. Bluegills were more abundant than in the 1997 study but smaller and slower-growing. The average bluegill was under six inches, but several over seven inches were found. Northern pike averaged 21.1 inches and 2.24 pounds each. Pike up to 28.5 inches long were caught. Northern pike grow fairly rapidly in Town Lake, but not as fast as in 1997 when there were higher numbers of their preferred forage, yellow perch. Perch catches declined since ten years ago and the average length was 6.6 inches.

Black crappie were also sampled in test nets but most were relatively small and young. Since black crappies are difficult to sample in standard mid summer test net gear, it is not known whether larger, older crappies are suspended over deeper water or are simply harvested as soon as they reach "keeper" size. Walleyes were not sampled but anglers reported occasional catches, especially several years ago.

Other species sampled in test nets included bowfin (dogfish), largemouth bass, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed sunfish, all three species of bullhead, and white sucker. In eutrophic, winterkill-susceptible lakes, black bullheads commonly outnumber yellow bullheads because black bullheads are more tolerant of low dissolved oxygen and poor water quality. Town Lake is an exception in that few black bullheads were found compared to the abundant yellow bullheads.

Northern pike and panfish populations appear to be in ample supply for a productive fishery in Town Lake. While some winterkill is nearly inevitable in this shallow, fertile lake, fishing can be good "in between" winterkills. Landowners can help keep not only fish populations, but also property values and water quality high by using the best land management practices available. Voluntarily exceeding shoreline setbacks for buildings and septic systems, not fertilizing lawns (or using phosphorus free fertilizers), leaving wide shoreline zones of unmown natural vegetation, limiting the amount of shoreline exposed to cattle activity, and leaving as much aquatic vegetation (especially emergents like bulrushes and cattails) intact as possible when obtaining access to open water can help to slow eutrophication (aging) of the lake.

What is the average air temp for Town Lake?

Are there any state parks near Town Lake?