Brooks Lake

How big is Brooks Lake?

How deep is Brooks Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Brooks Lake?

What are the closest cities to Brooks Lake?

Are there boat launches on Brooks Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Brooks Lake?

Brooks Lake is a 96-acre lake located in southwestern Wright County near the City of Cokato. The lake has a maximum depth of 21 feet with a summer water clarity of over five feet. There is a city administered public boat access as well as a fishing pier located within Veterans Memorial Park on the east side of the lake. The Brooks Lake watershed is only 216 acres with land use consisting of 45% open water, 24% residential, 18% cultivated crops, 8% hay/pasture, 3% forest, and 2% wetlands. Emergent vegetation covers 28% of the total shoreline but is confined to the west side of the lake. Brooks Lake has a history of winterkill, with the most recent event occurring in 1992.

A standard survey was completed in 2021 to update fisheries data last collected in 2005. The survey included spring Largemouth Bass electrofishing and summer gill netting and trap netting for all species.

Northern Pike abundance has historically been low in Brooks Lake. The catch rate in 2021 increased significantly from the previous survey and was two times higher than the expected range for similar lakes. Pike sampled ranged in length from 15 to 31 inches with an average length and weight of 23 inches and three pounds. Anglers should have plenty of opportunity to catch many small (< 26 inches) pike as only 15% of Northern Pike caught were longer than 26 inches and only 2% were longer than 30 inches.

The catch rate of Largemouth Bass was more than twice the average for the Sauk Rapids Management Area. Anglers should have opportunities to catch quality-sized bass as fish in the survey ranged in length from 5 to 20 inches and averaged 14 inches. Forty percent of the bass sampled were longer than 15 inches.

Black Crappie catches have been highly variable in Brooks Lake. The catch in 2021 was higher than in 2005 and near the long-term average for the lake. Most of the Black Crappies were small and ranged in length from 5 to 9 inches with an average length of 6 inches.

The Bluegill catch rate was higher than 2005 and above the range of expected values for lakes similar to Brooks Lake. Bluegill ranged in length from 3 to 8 inches with an average length of 6 inches. Anglers can expect plenty of sunfish action on Brooks Lake; however the average size is small.

Other species sampled in the survey were a single four pound Walleye (which have not been stocked since 1992) and Golden Shiner.

Land and lakeshore owners within the watershed can help improve water quality by using best management practices to reduce run-off and nutrient input to the lake.

What is the average air temp for Brooks Lake?