East Battle Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56013800
DNR records show 15 stocking entries at East Battle Lake since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2025 (2,150 fish).
- East Battle Lake has 15 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): walleye (14), yellow perch (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 4,157,588 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 87 ft; surface area 1,978 acres, 825 littoral acres, 13.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.3 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, tullibee (cisco), and 4 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Henning; DNR lake number (DOW) 56013800.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/8/1976 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 2,150 | 215.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 6,450 | 215.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 2,480 | 232.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 6,000 | 200.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 825,000 | 7.2 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 6,300 | 210.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye1 | adults | 2,100 | 350.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 825,000 | 7.5 |
| 2022 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 1,100 | 110.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 825,000 | 7.2 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 825,000 | 7.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 2,000 | 200.0 |
| 2018 | Yellow Perch1 | adults | 3,000 | 300.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 4,008 | 334.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 825,000 | 7.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
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, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.92 | 59 | 1.60 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 4.92 | 59 | 0.15 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 4.33 | 52 | 0.83 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 3.08 | 37 | 1.29 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 36 | 0.27 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 2.75 | 33 | 2.38 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 2.17 | 26 | 0.46 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 16 | 0.08 |
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.
East Battle Lake is a 1,949 acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in south-central Otter Tail County approximately two miles north of Vining, MN. East Battle Lake is connected to West Battle Lake via Battle Lake Creek. The immediate watershed is composed of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 87 feet; however, 35% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The shoreline length is 14.2 miles. The Secchi disk reading during the 2025 survey was 15.0 feet. Previous Secchi disk readings have ranged from 4.5 to 12.3 feet. A majority of the shoreline is developed with homes, cabins, and resorts. A DNR owned public access is located off of County Highway 55 along the northwest shoreline. Sand and gravel compose a majority of the shoreline substrates. Large stands of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are scattered around the shoreline of the entire 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. East Battle Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish-Walleye type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Walleye are the dominant gamefish species in the fish community. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the abundance of suitable spawning habitat that is available. A targeted survey (special gill netting) was conducted in 2025 to assess the Northern Pike and Walleye populations of East Battle Lake. A moderate density Northern Pike population exists. Age data indicate that Northern Pike reproduction rates are consistently high. As a result, Northern Pike size structure continues to be poor. Northern Pike ranged in length from 14.7 to 32.7 inches with a mean length and weight of 19.6 inches and 1.6 pounds. Pike attain an average length of 24.8 inches at four years of age. Walleye abundance has declined in recent surveys. Walleyes ranged in length from 16.2 to 23.9 inches with a mean length and weight of 19.0 inches and 2.4 pounds. Walleyes attain an average length of 16.0 inches at four years of age. There are no special or experimental harvest regulations in effect for East Battle Lake. Anglers can help maintain the quality of fishing by…
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.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.