Oliver (east portion) Lake
Swift County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 76014601
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Oliver (east portion) Lake since 2021, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (100,000 fish).
- Oliver (east portion) Lake has 5 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2021-2025): walleye (4), spo (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 301,907 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 32 ft; surface area 467 acres, 4.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 11.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, common carp, crappie, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, smallmouth bass, and 6 more.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Swift County, nearest town Appleton; DNR lake number (DOW) 76014601.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/4/1969 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.8 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 101,141 | 0.9 |
| 2021 | SPO | adults | 2,604 | 42.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.8 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 766 | 224.0 |
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.
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTM | Fall electrofishing | 300.00 | 150 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Fall electrofishing | 200.00 | 100 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Fall electrofishing | 124.00 | 62 | 0.00 |
| SUN | Fall electrofishing | 120.00 | 60 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 80.00 | 40 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | Fall electrofishing | 20.00 | 10 | 0.00 |
| OTS | Fall electrofishing | 20.00 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 1/4-in trap nets | 210.33 | 1,262 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 1/4-in trap nets | 92.50 | 555 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 1/4-in trap nets | 66.00 | 396 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | 1/4-in trap nets | 11.67 | 70 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | 1/4-in trap nets | 7.83 | 47 | 0.00 |
| Spottail shiner | 1/4-in trap nets | 6.17 | 37 | 0.00 |
| Orangespotted sunfish | 1/4-in trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | 1/4-in trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 38.25 | 51 | 1.40 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 37.33 | 112 | 0.29 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 23.00 | 69 | 1.38 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 8 | 1.15 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 6 | 0.36 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 4 | 0.15 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 3 | 1.29 |
| Orangespotted sunfish | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 1 | 0.04 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 1 | 2.83 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 5.44 | 49 | 1.16 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 3.11 | 28 | 1.90 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 2.78 | 25 | 1.80 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.49 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.45 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.13 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 3.46 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 11.56 |
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.
Oliver Lake is in western Swift County, approximately nine miles north of Appleton. The lake is split into an east basin (455 acres) and west basin (212 acres) by Swift County Highway 5. A culvert exists under the highway so the basins typically have similar fish communities. This survey was conducted in East Oliver Lake to collect routine fish data using gill nets and trap nets. These data can be compared to historical Standard and Targeted Survey data from East Oliver Lake. Smallmouth bass were first caught in DNR sampling in 2013 and they likely resulted from an unauthorized stocking around 2010. They have since established a large population. Excellent habitat is present and their numbers are expected to remain high. Bass fishing has been very good with some fish exceeding 20 inches. Smallmouth bass lakes are rare in southwest Minnesota and East Oliver Lake provides a unique angling opportunity. East Oliver Lake has been a good walleye fishery for the last several years. In 2025, walleye ranged from 13-26 inches, with the majority 14-16 inches. The walleye population has primarily resulted from fry stocking and natural reproduction, with smaller contributions from stocked fingerlings, yearlings and adults. East Oliver warms slowly during spring because it is deeper than most lakes in the area, so the walleye bite usually doesn't occur until June. In 2025, yellow perch numbers were moderate and higher than in recent years. Most perch were 7-9-inches, but some up to 12 inches were also present. Black crappies and bluegills were found in low numbers.
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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