East Leaf Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56011602
DNR records show 8 stocking entries at East Leaf Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (3,000 fish).
- East Leaf Lake has 8 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): walleye (8).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 555,554 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 47 ft; surface area 423 acres, 113 littoral acres, 4.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, greater redhorse, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 7 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) 56011602.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/16/1958 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,000 | 100.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 113,000 | 1.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fry | 100,000 | 0.8 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 113,000 | 1.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 113,000 | 1.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 300 | 15.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 113,000 | 1.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 254 | 127.0 |
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, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 9.43 | 66 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 9.14 | 64 | 0.00 |
| Logperch | 15-ft beach seine | 4.00 | 28 | 0.00 |
| Spottail shiner | 15-ft beach seine | 1.29 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 15-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 7 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 15-ft beach seine | 0.43 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 15-ft beach seine | 0.29 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 0.14 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 8.57 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 6.42 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 5.35 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 3.21 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 2.14 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 1.07 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 1.07 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Rock bass | Backpack electrofishing | 1.07 | 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 East Leaf Lake was conducted on July 18, 2022 by Fergus Falls Area Fisheries Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Electrofishing was completed at all ten sampling stations, but six stations were moved a short distance due to site conditions and two stations were sampled by boat electrofishing. A 15-foot seine was used at seven stations, and soft sediments and abundant vegetation prevented the use of seines at three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 15 species of fish including six species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Iowa Darter, Least Darter, Logperch, Rock Bass and Smallmouth Bass) and one species that is tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Green Sunfish). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 2022 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., Banded Killifish, Iowa Darter, Least Darter, Logperch, Rock Bass and Smallmouth 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. Results from this survey indicate the fish community of East Leaf Lake is affected by disturbance as indicated by an FIBI score very near to the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Leaf River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.
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.