Eagle Lake (Otter Tail County)

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56025300

DNR records show 8 stocking entries at Eagle Lake (Otter Tail County) since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2024 (1,260 fish).

• Eagle Lake (Otter Tail County) has 8 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2024): walleye (8).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 33,002 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 46 ft; surface area 907 acres, 157 littoral acres, 4.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 22.5 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 1, 2024 (targeted survey).
• Otter Tail County, nearest town Battle Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 56025300.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/20/1962 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

¹ fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2024

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.

Eagle Lake is an 845-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in south-central Otter Tail County approximately eight miles south of Battle Lake, MN. Eagle Lake is located within the Pomme de Terre River Watershed; however, there are no inlets or outlets connected to the lake. The immediate watershed is composed of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The secchi disk reading during the 2024 survey was 25.6 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 14.8 to 25.2 feet. The majority of the shoreline has been extensively developed. Homes and cabins surround the entire shoreline of the lake. A township owned concrete public access is located in a park along the south shoreline. A public swimming beach is also located in the park. The shoal water substrates consist of sand and gravel. There is no emergent aquatic vegetation present in Eagle Lake. A special gillnetting survey was conducted to analyze the Walleye and Northern Pike populations. Walleye abundance has consistently remained at a high level. Walleyes ranged in length from 8.4 to 22.4 inches with an average length and weight of 13.8 inches and 1.0 pounds. Walleyes in Eagle Lake attain an average length of 14.1 inches at four years of age. Northern Pike abundance has consistently remained at a very low level. Northern Pike natural reproduction is extremely limited due to the lack of suitable spawning habitat. Pike ranged in length from 15.1 to 33.1 inches with an average length and weight of 24.5 inches and 3.2 pounds. Northern Pike attain an average length of 25.9 inches at age V. Anglers can 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 provide anglers with opportunities to catch more large fish in the future. Eagle Lake was designated as infested with zebra mussels in 2019. Aquatic invasive species are threatening Minnesota waters. Aquatic invasive species can potentially harm water quality, water recreation, aquatic habitat, native species, and fish populations. Anglers can help prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species by following watercraft transportation laws.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 1, 2024.

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