Jewett Lake

Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56087700

DNR records show 14 stocking entries at Jewett Lake since 2016, most recently black crappie yearlings in 2025 (1,455 fish).

• Jewett Lake has 14 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (13), black crappie (1).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 54,801 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 75 ft; surface area 747 acres, 262 littoral acres, 4.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.0 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: May 27, 2025 (targeted survey).
• Otter Tail County, nearest town Elizabeth; DNR lake number (DOW) 56087700.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/25/1967 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

¹ fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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.

Jewett Lake is a 737-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in west-central Otter Tail County approximately eight miles north of Fergus Falls, MN. Jewett Lake is located within the Otter Tail River Watershed; however, there are no natural inlets or outlets connected to the lake. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth of Jewett Lake is 75 feet; however, 36% of the lake is less than 15 feet in depth. The Secchi disk reading during the 2022 survey was 22.1 feet. Previous secchi disk readings ranged from 7.1 to 14.4 feet. The north and east shorelines of Jewett Lake have been extensively developed. Homes and cottages compose most of the development. A DNR owned concrete public access is located off the township road along the north shoreline of the lake. The shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Large stands of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are located along the southwest and southeast shorelines. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush and cattail provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical for maintaining good water quality. 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 large area of hardstem bulrush and common cattail along the southwest shoreline is posted annually as a Largemouth Bass spawning area. Much of this area is located immediately adjacent to an Aquatic Management Area. Restrictions imposed in the spawning area prohibit fishing or motor boating from ice-out to June 30th, inclusive. Suitable spawning habitat for Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Black Crappie in Jewett Lake is primarily limited to this posted spawning area. Jewett Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish-Walleye type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Walleye, Largemouth Bass, and Bluegill are the dominant gamefish species present. A spring trap netting survey was conducted in 2025 to collect data on the Bluegill population. This was the first targeted assessment for Bluegill on Jewett Lake. Previous Bluegill data was obtained via standard lake survey summer trap netting. Age data indicates that Bluegill reproduction success can be…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, May 27, 2025.

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