Ida Lake (Becker County)

Becker County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 03058200

DNR records show 14 stocking entries at Ida Lake (Becker County) since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (280 fish).

• Ida Lake (Becker County) has 14 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2017-2025): walleye (14).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 54,674 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 20 ft; surface area 632 acres, 435 littoral acres, 7.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.6 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: September 6, 2023 (targeted survey).
• Becker County, nearest town Lake Park; DNR lake number (DOW) 03058200.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/9/1963 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2023

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 Ida Lake was conducted on September 6th-7th, 2023, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program 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. Backpack electrofishing was completed at fourteen sampling stations, but three stations were sampled from the boat due soft sediments. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample nine stations, and a 15-foot seine was used to sample two stations, and three stations were not seined due to soft sediments. Nearshore sampling captured twenty species of fish including four species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Iowa Darter, Blackchin Shiner, and Blacknose Shiner) and two that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 2023 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., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead and Common Carp). 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 that the fish community in Ida Lake is healthy, as indicated by an FIBI score that scores above the impairment threshold determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous findings, which indicated that Ida Lake fully supported aquatic life use based on the FIBI. These survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Otter Tail River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, September 6, 2023.

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