McDonald Lake

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56038603

DNR records show 5 stocking entries at McDonald Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (148,000 fish).

• McDonald Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2025): walleye (5).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 153,756 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 33 ft; surface area 561 acres, 295 littoral acres, 7.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.0 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, largemouth bass.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: May 10, 2022 (targeted survey).
• Otter Tail County, nearest town Dent; DNR lake number (DOW) 56038603.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; 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, 2022

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.

Schwartz Lake is a 489-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in north-central Otter Tail County approximately two miles west of Dent, MN. Schwartz Lake is connected to Big McDonald Lake via a shallow channel along the northwest shoreline. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 33 feet; however, 60% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Historical secchi disk readings have ranged from 11.0 to 13.6 feet. Shoreline development is limited to the south shoreline. A DNR owned concrete public water access is located along the southwest shoreline. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Areas of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are located throughout 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 nursery areas for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. A spring trapnetting survey was conducted to analyze the Black Crappie population. Catch and length data indicate that an abundant Black Crappie population with a high quality size structure exists in Schwartz Lake. Black Crappies ranged in length from 7.4 to 13.9 inches with an average length of 11.4 inches. Eighty-four percent of the Black Crappies were 10.0 inches or greater in length and 36% were 12.0 inches or greater in length. Black Crappies attain an average length of 10.8 inches at five 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 the 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. Schwartz Lake was listed as infested with zebra mussels in 2019. Aquatic invasive species are threatening Minnesota waters. The non-native species can potentially harm water quality, water recreation, aquatic habitat, native species, and fish populations. Anglers can help prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species by following watercraft transportation laws.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, May 10, 2022.

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