Middle Lake

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56025200

Middle Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.

• Middle Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of September 2, 2026.
• Maximum depth 56 ft; surface area 225 acres, 100 littoral acres, 3.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 25.0 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: May 17, 2024 (targeted survey).
• Otter Tail County, nearest town Battle Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 56025200.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

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.

Middle Lake is a 194-acre mesotrohpic (moderately fertile) lake located in south-central Otter Tail County approximately eight miles south of Battle Lake, MN. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 56 feet; however, 52% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Historical secchi disk readings have ranged from 10.0 to 17.5 feet. A majority of the shoreline is undeveloped. A DNR owned public water access is located along the southwest shoreline in the Jensen Wildlife Management Area. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Emergent vegetation (hardstem bulrush, common cattail, and wild rice) is prevalent throughout the lake. Emergent plants are important because they provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms from erosion and can even absorb and break down polluting chemicals. Emergent plants provide spawning habitat for fish species like Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and panfish. They also serve as important nursery areas for all species of fish. Because of their ecological importance, 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 harvest regulation for Largemouth Bass was implemented in 2008. All bass 12.0 inches and longer must be immediately released with the exception of one over 20.0 inches allowed in possession. The objective of the regulation is to maintain or improve the size structure of the Largemouth Bass population. A spring electrofishing survey was conducted to analyze the Largemouth Bass population. A moderate to high-density population exists. Age data indicate that bass reproduction is consistently good. Bass ranged in length from 2.8 to 19.0 inches with an average length and weight of 12.5 inches and 1.2 pounds. Largemouth Bass attain an average length of 10.9 inches at five years of age. A reduced daily bag limit regulation for sunfish (5 per day) was implemented in 2022. The objective of the regulation is to maintain the quality of the Bluegill size structure. Anglers can also maintain the quality of angling 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 the lake will have enough spawning age fish on an annual basis and will…

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, May 17, 2024.

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