Long Lake (Otter Tail County, DOW 56039000)

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56039000

DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Long Lake (Otter Tail County, DOW 56039000) since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (236,000 fish).

• Long Lake (Otter Tail County, DOW 56039000) has 6 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2025): walleye (6).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,244,000 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 88 ft; surface area 395 acres, 236 littoral acres, 6.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.3 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: largemouth bass.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: May 28, 2025 (targeted survey).
• Otter Tail County, nearest town Dalton; DNR lake number (DOW) 56039000.

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.

Long Lake is a 350-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in south-central Otter Tail County approximately five miles east of Dalton, MN. Long Lake is part of the Pomme de Terre River Watershed. There are no inlets or outlets connected to Long Lake. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. Long Lake has a maximum depth of 88 feet; however, 67% of the lake is less than 15 feet in depth. Historical secchi disk readings have ranged from 4.0 to 14.0 feet. The north shoreline of Long Lake has been extensively developed. The development consists primarily of homes and cottages. A DNR owned concrete public water access is also located along the north shoreline of the lake. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel with muck being the predominant substrate in the east bay. Hardstem bulrush stands are scattered around the entire lake. Common cattail is prevalent along the east 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 from erosion and can absorb and break down polluting chemicals. Emergent plants provide spawning areas for fish species 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 spring electrofishing survey was conducted to analyze the Largemouth Bass population. Catch and age data indicate that Largemouth Bass are extremely abundant and that successful reproduction consistently occurs at high levels. Bass ranged in length from 3.9 to 16.4 inches. Largemouth Bass growth is slow with an average length of 12.0 inches at five years of age. There are no special or experimental fish harvest regulations in effect for Long Lake. Anglers can maintain the quality of fishing by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium to large fish while allowing the harvest of more abundant smaller fish for table fare. Releasing the medium to large fish will ensure that the 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. Long Lake is not listed as an invasive species infested water body. Aquatic…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, May 28, 2025.

All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder