East Loon Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56052300
DNR records show 12 stocking entries at East Loon Lake since 2017, most recently walleye yearlings in 2025 (692 fish).
- East Loon Lake has 12 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2017-2025): walleye (12).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 16,143 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 105 ft; surface area 1,044 acres, 592 littoral acres, 17.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 14.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, and 5 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Vergas; DNR lake number (DOW) 56052300.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 692 | 509.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 88 | 107.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 2,500 | 100.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | yearlings | 3,030 | 606.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,201 | 116.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 1,612 | 648.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | adults | 215 | 158.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,117 | 203.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | yearlings | 714 | 238.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 2,800 | 148.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 347 | 178.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 827 | 425.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 24.78 | 223 | 0.23 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 11.11 | 100 | 1.50 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 8.67 | 78 | 0.26 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 5.33 | 48 | 0.79 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 4.89 | 44 | 0.51 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 3.22 | 29 | 2.47 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 24 | 1.51 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 15 | 0.49 |
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.
Loon Lake is a 1,048-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in north-central Otter Tail County. The town of Vergas, MN abuts the northeast shoreline of the lake. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The lake has a maximum depth of 105 feet; however, 56% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The lake is composed of several distinct basins, all connected by narrow passages. The Secchi disk reading during the 2025 survey was 11.0 feet. Previous Secchi disk readings ranged from 6.8 to 19.0 feet. A majority of the shoreline of Loon Lake is developed. The development consists primarily of homes, cottages, and resorts. A DNR owned concrete public access is located off of County Road 35 along the northeast shoreline of the lake. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Emergent plants (hardstem bulrush, common cattail, and wild rice) are prevalent throughout the lake. Emergent aquatic plants provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms and absorb and break down polluting chemicals. Emergent plants provide spawning areas for fish such as Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and panfish. They also serve as an important nursery area for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. Loon Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Bluegill are the dominant gamefish species in the fish community. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the quality and quantity of suitable habitat that is available for these species. A targeted survey (special gill netting) was conducted in July 2025 to assess the Northern Pike and Walleye populations of Loon Lake. A high-density Northern Pike population exists. Northern Pike abundance has historically been high and size structure poor. Pike ranged in length from 10.0 to 29.8 inches with a mean length and weight of 19.4 inches and 1.5 pounds. Northern Pike attain an average length of 22.2 inches at four years of age. The Walleye population continues to be sustained with the stocking of carry-over (adult) fish. Walleyes ranged in length from 11.8 to 28.9 inches with a mean length and weight of 18.1 inches and 2.5 pounds. Walleyes attain an average length of 14.8 inches at four years of age. There are no existing special or experimental harvest…
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. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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