Bass Lake (Otter Tail County)

Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56057000

DNR records show 8 stocking entries at Bass Lake (Otter Tail County) since 2017, most recently walleye yearlings in 2025 (147 fish).

• Bass Lake (Otter Tail County) has 8 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (8).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 6,878 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 36 ft; surface area 311 acres, 138 littoral acres, 5.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.3 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, yellow bullhead.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: June 7, 2021 (targeted survey).
• Otter Tail County, nearest town Underwood; DNR lake number (DOW) 56057000.

Stocking history

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2021

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.

Bass lake is a 292-acre eutrophic (fertile) lake located in south-central Otter Tail County. The town of Underwood, MN abuts the southeast shoreline of the lake. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 36 feet; however, 47% of the lake is fifteen feet or less in depth. Historical secchi disk readings have ranged from 3.0 to 18.0 feet. A city owned public access is located along the east shoreline of the lake. There has been a considerable increase in development in recent years and the only remaining undeveloped shoreline is the western portion of the south shore. Shoalwater substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Hardstem bulrush is limited to the areas around the points on the south shore and common cattail is abundant in the western bay of the lake. These emergent plants provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical in maintaining good water quality. Emergent plants also provide critical spawning habitat for several fish species including Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and panfish. They also serve as important nursery areas for many species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants cannot be removed without a DNR permit. A creamery was operated for many years on the east shoreline, which discharged raw effluent directly into the lake, creating high phosphorous levels. As a result, the lake is subject to substantial algae blooms in the summer, which can limit recreational activity. A reduced daily bag limit regulation for sunfish (5 per day) was implemented in 2021. The objective of the regulation is to improve and maintain the quality of the Bluegill size structure. A special spring trapnetting survey was conducted to collect baseline data on the Bluegill population, which will be used for regulation evaluation purposes in future surveys. The Bluegill population has historically experienced substantial fluctuations in abundance and size structure, which may be attributed to inconsistent reproduction rates and high angler harvest. Data from future surveys will determine if the reduced bag limit regulation can reduce the fluctuations and provide a more stable Bluegill population. Anglers can also maintain the quality of fishing by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium to large-size fish while allowing the harvest of the more abundant smaller fish for table fare. Releasing the medium to large fish will ensure that the lake will have enough spawning age fish on an annual basis and will…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, June 7, 2021.

All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder