Franklin Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56075900
DNR records show 10 stocking entries at Franklin Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (5,825 fish).
- Franklin Lake has 10 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (10).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 4,518,022 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 48 ft; surface area 1,088 acres, 749 littoral acres, 12.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.3 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 6 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Pelican Rapids; DNR lake number (DOW) 56075900.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/10/1965 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 5,825 | 233.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 749,000 | 6.5 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,689 | 238.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 749,000 | 6.8 |
| 2021 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 4,883 | 257.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 749,000 | 6.6 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 4,625 | 256.9 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 749,000 | 6.4 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 5,000 | 256.4 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 1,498,000 | 12.7 |
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 | |
| gravel ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crappie | Special trap nets | 2.56 | 46 | 0.70 |
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.
Franklin Lake is a 1,336-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in northwestern Otter Tail County approximately ten miles northeast of Pelican Rapids, MN. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 48 feet; however, 56% of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. There is a shallow, unnavigable outlet along the south shoreline that flows into Crystal Lake. Historical Secchi disk readings have ranged from 5.1 to 14.5 feet. Residential development is scattered around the entire shoreline of the lake. The development consists primarily of homes and cottages. DNR owned public water accesses are located on the east and north shorelines. Shoal water substrates in the main lake basin consist primarily of sand and gravel with muck being the prevalent substrate in the three western bays. Stands of Hardstem Bulrush, Common Cattail, and other emergent plants are scattered throughout the lake. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush and cattail 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 important nursery areas for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. To maintain the excellent water quality and angling that this lake has to offer, it is imperative to preserve the quality of the aquatic habitat. A 10.0-inch minimum length limit for Black Crappie, along with a reduced daily limit of five was implemented in 2006 to maintain the size structure of the Black Crappie population. A special spring trap netting survey was conducted in 2025 to analyze the Black Crappie population. Catch data indicate that Black Crappies are moderately abundant. The 2020-year class is strong and should provide consistently good Black Crappie angling for several years. Fish sampled ranged in size from 7.0 to 12.0 inches in length, with an average length of 10.7 inches. Ninety-three percent of the crappies were 10.0 inches or greater in length. Crappie growth rates are good with an average length of 10.9 inches at five years of age. Anglers can also maintain the quality of fishing by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium to large size fish while allowing the harvest of the more abundant smaller fish for table fare. Releasing the medium to large fish will ensure that the…
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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