East Spirit Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56050100
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at East Spirit Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (246,000 fish).
- East Spirit Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,230,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 38 ft; surface area 561 acres, 245 littoral acres, 6.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 13.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, sunfish, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Vergas; DNR lake number (DOW) 56050100.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 246,000 | 2.2 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 246,000 | 2.1 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 246,000 | 2.2 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 246,000 | 2.1 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 246,000 | 2.1 |
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, 2013
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 151.67 | 1,365 | 0.05 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 6.00 | 54 | 0.39 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 3.00 | 27 | 0.31 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.67 | 24 | 0.73 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.78 | 16 | 0.39 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.45 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.42 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.50 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 144.69 | 59 | 0.91 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 9.00 | 81 | 1.47 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 7.33 | 66 | 0.26 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 4.56 | 41 | 0.37 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 18 | 0.06 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.11 | 10 | 2.17 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.89 | 8 | 0.45 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 6 | 1.55 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.25 |
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 Spirit Lake is a 544 acre, moderately fertile lake located in north-central Otter Tail County, approximately three miles southwest of Vergas, MN. The maximum depth is 38 feet and 45% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The secchi disk reading during this survey was 13.5 feet, which indicates good water clarity. Secchi disk readings since 1975 have ranged from 11.0 - 15.0 feet. The shoal water substrates consist primarily of gravel, sand and muck. The majority of the north and south shorelines are developed. A state owned public access is located on County Road 4 along the NW shore of the lake. Along with the many shoreline points that contain bulrush, there are 2 distinct bulrush humps on the northern main portion of the lake. Another unique area is the eastern bay located on the central portion of the lake that is rimmed with a floating cattail bog. Common cattail and hardstem bulrush provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical in maintaining good water quality. These 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. They protect shorelines from erosion and can actually absorb and break down pollutants. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants cannot be removed without a DNR permit. East Spirit 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, Black Crappie, and Bluegill are the dominant gamefish species present. Walleye is a primary management specie in this lake. Walleye abundance was low in 2013 (1.1 per net). Walleye from gill nets ranged in length from 11.7 - 22.1 inches, with an average length and weight of 18.2 inches and 2.2 pounds. Walleye attain an average length of 14.7 inches at four years of age. Northern Pike abundance has remained at a moderate density and age data indicates that natural reproduction has continued to be consistently good. Northern Pike ranged in length from 13.9 - 34.3 inches with an average length and weight of 18.7 inches and 1.5 pounds. Eleven percent of the Northern Pike in the gill net sample measured greater than 24.0 inches in length. Pike growth is slow with an average length of 19.7 inches at four years of age. The slow growth rates for pike may be attributed to the low abundance of Yellow Perch, a preferred forage fish. Bluegill abundance has historically fluctuated and is now on the high end. Fifty-six percent of…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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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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