Elbow Lake (Otter Tail County)
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56030600
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Elbow Lake (Otter Tail County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (80,000 fish).
- Elbow Lake (Otter Tail County) has 7 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (7).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 83,252 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 46 ft; surface area 188 acres, 80 littoral acres, 3.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 16.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Battle Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 56030600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/24/1963 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 80,000 | 0.7 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,680 | 84.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 328 | 84.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | adults | 17 | 17.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 100 | 26.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 585 | 112.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 542 | 271.0 |
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, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 11.00 | 66 | 0.70 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.33 | 26 | 3.74 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 3.17 | 19 | 1.62 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 16 | 2.50 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 3.51 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.77 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.16 |
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.
Elbow (Bass) Lake is a 189-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County approximately two miles west of Battle Lake, MN. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth of Bass Lake is 46 feet; however, 42% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2023 survey was 14.7 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 15.0 to 24.0 feet. Moderate shoreline development exists around the lake. Homes and cottages compose the majority of the development. A DNR owned concrete public access is located on the northwest shoreline. Main lake shoreline substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. The substrate in the north bay is predominantly muck. Common cattail and hardstem bulrush are prevalent in the bay; however, emergent vegetation is limited throughout the remainder of the lake. Emergent plants are important because they provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines from erosion and can even absorb and breakdown pollutants from the water. Emergent plants provide spawning areas for fish species such as Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass and panfish. They also are important nursery areas for all species of fish. Because of their ecological importance, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. A special gillnetting survey was conducted to analyze the Walleye and Northern Pike populations. Northern Pike abundance has historically remained at a moderate level. Age data from this survey and previous surveys indicate that Northern Pike reproduction is consistently good at a low to moderate level. Pike ranged in length from 20.4 to 37.0 inches with an average length and weight of 25.8 inches and 3.7 pounds. Pike attain an average length of 25.6 inches at five years of age. Walleye abundance remains low. Walleyes ranged in length from 16.3 to 23.9 inches with a mean length of 19.5 inches and 2.5 pounds. Walleyes attain an average length of 15.8 inches at four years of age. Previous special surveys have indicated that the Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie populations have been historically abundant with excellent size structures, consistently good reproduction, and above-average growth. Anglers can maintain the quality of angling by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium to large-size fish while allowing the harvest of more abundant smaller fish for table fare. Releasing the medium to large…
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.
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