Long Lake (Otter Tail County, DOW 56038800)

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56038800

DNR records show 14 stocking entries at Long Lake (Otter Tail County, DOW 56038800) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (11,250 fish).

• Long Lake (Otter Tail County, DOW 56038800) has 14 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): walleye (14).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 102,327 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 128 ft; surface area 1,289 acres, 529 littoral acres, 12.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 13.0 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), and 4 more.
• 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: June 17, 2024 (targeted survey).
• Otter Tail County, nearest town Vergas; DNR lake number (DOW) 56038800.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/13/1962 (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. ² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2024

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.

Long Lake is a 1,273-acre lake located in north-central Otter Tail County. The southwest shoreline of the lake abuts the city of Vergas, MN. Long Lake is composed of two distinct basins. The west basin is characteristic of an oligotrophic lake (i.e., deep and unfertile) while the east basin is characteristic of a mesotrophic lake (i.e., moderately deep and fertile). Several intermittent inlets are located along the north and south shorelines. An outlet to the Otter Tail River is located along the east shoreline. The inlets and outlet are not navigable by boat. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 128 feet; however, 42% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Historically, secchi disk readings have ranged from 8.0 to 18.1 feet. Development is scattered around the entire shoreline of the lake and consists of homes, cottages, and resorts. Approximately 40% of the shoreline remains undeveloped mixed hardwoods. A DNR owned concrete public water access is located off of State Highway 228 along the northwest shoreline of the lake. A city park is located along the west shoreline of the lake. A disabled accessible fishing pier is located in the park and is available for public use. The shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Large stands of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are prevalent around the entire shoreline of the lake. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush and cattails provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat, and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms, and can 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. Long 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, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Bluegill are the dominant gamefish species. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the abundance of suitable spawning habitat that is available. A targeted survey (special gill netting) was conducted in 2024 to assess the Walleye and Northern Pike populations. Walleye ranged in length from 9.3 to 26.2 inches with an average length and weight of 16.6 inches and 1.9 pounds, respectively. Walleyes attain an average length of 15.9 inches…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, June 17, 2024.

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