Crystal Lake (Otter Tail County)
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56074900
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Crystal Lake (Otter Tail County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (674,000 fish).
- Crystal Lake (Otter Tail County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 3,370,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 55 ft; surface area 1,413 acres, 674 littoral acres, 8.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, and 5 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Pelican Rapids; DNR lake number (DOW) 56074900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/17/1962 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 674,000 | 5.9 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 674,000 | 6.2 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 674,000 | 5.9 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 674,000 | 5.7 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 674,000 | 5.7 |
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 |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 58.25 | 699 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 50-ft beach seine | 19.00 | 228 | 0.00 |
| BCS | 50-ft beach seine | 8.58 | 103 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 5.42 | 65 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 5.08 | 61 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | 50-ft beach seine | 3.58 | 43 | 0.00 |
| PGS | 50-ft beach seine | 2.50 | 30 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 2.25 | 27 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 32.05 | 73 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 18.88 | 43 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Backpack electrofishing | 11.41 | 26 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 10.98 | 25 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 7.90 | 18 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 5.27 | 12 | 0.00 |
| PGS | Backpack electrofishing | 3.95 | 9 | 0.00 |
| BKF | Backpack electrofishing | 3.07 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 11.42 | 137 | 0.22 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 2.58 | 31 | 0.45 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.75 | 21 | 0.32 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 20 | 1.18 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.42 | 17 | 0.39 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 12 | 3.69 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 9 | 1.54 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 9 | 1.66 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 2.50 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.00 |
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.
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Crystal Lake, was conducted over several days, including June 17-18 and June 20, 2024, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 18 sampling stations, but five stations were sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample 12 stations, a 15-foot seine was used to sample two stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at four stations. Nearshore sampling captured 20 species of fish including eight species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Least Darter, Pugnose Shiner, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass) and one species that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Green Sunfish). A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by IBI Program Staff. Twelve trap nets were set along the shoreline and in shallow offshore locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured 11 species of fish, including one that is intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Rock Bass) and one that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead). Bluegill comprised a majority of the trap net catch by number and Bluegill and Bowfin comprised a majority by biomass. The nearshore and trap net data were combined with gill net data from an August 2023 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. In addition to fish sampling, IBI program staff also conducted an assessment of lakeshore habitat on Crystal Lake on June 18, 2024, following the Score the Shore survey protocols. The assessment consisted of 70 survey sites evenly spaced 200 meters around the lake.…
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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