Johnson Lake (Otter Tail County)
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56039300
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Johnson Lake (Otter Tail County) since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (165,000 fish).
- Johnson Lake (Otter Tail County) has 7 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2025): walleye (7).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,010,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 32 ft; surface area 419 acres, 165 littoral acres, 5.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Dalton; DNR lake number (DOW) 56039300.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 165,000 | 1.5 |
| 2025 | Walleye1 | fry | 100,000 | 0.8 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | fry | 50,000 | 0.4 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 165,000 | 1.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 165,000 | 1.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 165,000 | 1.4 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 200,000 | 1.7 |
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 |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 50.51 | 41 | 1.38 |
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.
Johnson Lake is a 338-acre eutrophic (fertile) lake located in south-central Otter Tail County approximately two miles east of Dalton, MN. Johnson Lake is part of the Pomme de Terre River Watershed. There is an inlet from a wetland along the north shoreline but there is no outlet. Land use in the immediate watershed is primarily agricultural. The maximum depth of Johnson Lake is 32 feet; however, 49% of the lake is less than 15 feet in depth. Historical secchi disk readings have ranged from 3.5 to 9.6 feet. Periodic plankton-algae blooms throughout the summer months can decrease water clarity in this lake. The majority of the shoreline on Johnson Lake remains undeveloped. The shoreline is primarily composed of agricultural and marsh land. Several cabins are located along the northeast shoreline. A public water access is also located along the northeast shoreline off of County Road 12. Large stands of hardstem bulrush are scattered along various shorelines of the lake and on several midlake sunken islands. Common cattail is also prevalent in several bays and along several areas of shoreline. 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 can actually 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 an important nursery area for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. Data from a spring electrofishing survey indicate that a moderately abundant Largemouth Bass population with a good size structure exists. Age indicate that Largemouth Bass reproduction is consistently good. Bass ranged in length from 4.6 to 19.5 inches with an average length and weight of 11.7 inches and 1.4 pounds. Largemouth Bass attain an average length of 14.8 inches at four years of age. Anglers can 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 more abundant smaller fish for table fare. Releasing the medium to large fish will ensure that lake will have enough spawning age fish on an annual basis and will provide anglers with more opportunities to catch large fish in the future. Johnson Lake is not listed as an infested water. Aquatic invasive species are threatening Minnesota waters. Aquatic invasive species can potentially harm water…
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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