Long Lake (Otter Tail County, DOW 56078400)

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56078400

DNR records show 14 stocking entries at Long Lake (Otter Tail County, DOW 56078400) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (2,500 fish).

• Long Lake (Otter Tail County, DOW 56078400) has 14 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (14).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 27,720 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 73 ft; surface area 767 acres, 306 littoral acres, 7.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.7 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, and 5 more.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 24, 2023 (targeted survey).
• Otter Tail County, nearest town Fergus Falls; DNR lake number (DOW) 56078400.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/15/1962 (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.

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.

Long Lake is a 756-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in west-central Otter Tail County approximately nine miles north of Fergus Falls, MN. Long Lake is located within the Otter Tail River Watershed. An inlet is located along the east shoreline and an outlet dam is located along the northwest shoreline. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth of Long Lake is 73 feet; however, 40% of the lake is less than 15 feet in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2023 survey was 10.4 feet. Previous secchi disk readings ranged from 5.6 to 8.3 feet. The western portion of Long Lake has been extensively developed. Homes and cottages compose the majority of the development. A large resort and campground complex is also located along the western shoreline. A DNR owned concrete public access is located off of County Road 27 along the southwest shoreline. The shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Large stands of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are prevalent throughout the eastern portion of the lake. 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 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 special gillnetting survey was conducted to analyze the Walleye and Northern Pike populations Walleye abundance in the two most recent surveys is the highest recorded for this lake. Age data indicate that the 2020 and 2021 year classes are strong and should provide good Walleye angling in the future. Walleyes ranged in length from 7.5 to 26.5 inches with an average length and weight of 15.8 inches and 1.5 pounds. Walleyes attain an average length of 15.6 inches at four years of age. Northern Pike have historically been very abundant. Age data indicate that reproduction is consistently good. Northern Pike ranged in length from 17.4 to 31.1 inches with an average length and weight of 22.5 inches and 2.5 pounds. Northern Pike attain an average length of 25.3 inches at five years of age. Anglers can…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 24, 2023.

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