Middle Leaf Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56011601
DNR records show 8 stocking entries at Middle Leaf Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (3,000 fish).
- Middle Leaf Lake has 8 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): walleye (8).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 827,798 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 43 ft; surface area 404 acres, 181 littoral acres, 4.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, greater redhorse, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 7 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Ottertail; DNR lake number (DOW) 56011601.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/16/1958 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,000 | 100.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 181,000 | 1.6 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fry | 100,000 | 0.8 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 181,000 | 1.6 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 181,000 | 1.6 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 400 | 20.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 181,000 | 1.5 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 398 | 199.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 22.50 | 45 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 12.00 | 24 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 50-ft beach seine | 8.00 | 16 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Spottail shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 1.50 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Logperch | 50-ft beach seine | 1.50 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 2 | 0.00 |
| White sucker | 50-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 19.31 | 20 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 12.55 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 10.62 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 4.83 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 1.93 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 0.97 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Creek chub | Backpack electrofishing | 0.97 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Common shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 0.97 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 18.80 | 94 | 0.00 |
| Logperch | 15-ft beach seine | 2.40 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 15-ft beach seine | 1.40 | 7 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 15-ft beach seine | 1.40 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Common shiner | 15-ft beach seine | 1.20 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 15-ft beach seine | 0.80 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 15-ft beach seine | 0.80 | 4 | 0.00 |
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.
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Middle Leaf Lake was conducted on July 20, 2022 by Fergus Falls Area Fisheries Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Electrofishing was completed at all ten sampling stations, but two stations were moved a short distance due to site conditions and two stations were sampled by boat electrofishing. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample two stations, a 15-foot seine was used at five stations, and soft sediments and abundant vegetation prevented the use of seines at three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 17 species of fish including three species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Iowa Darter and Logperch) and two species that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a July 2022 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Banded Killifish, Iowa Darter and Logperch), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey indicate the fish community of Middle Leaf Lake is affected by disturbance as indicated by a FIBI score below the threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Leaf River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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