Oliver Lake
Swift County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 76014600
DNR records show 8 stocking entries at Oliver Lake since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2020 (1,563 fish).
- Oliver Lake has 8 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2020): walleye (8).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 630,796 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 18 ft; surface area 686 acres, 300 littoral acres, 7.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, common carp, crappie, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, orangespotted sunfish, smallmouth bass, suckers, sunfish, and 3 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Swift County, nearest town Appleton; DNR lake number (DOW) 76014600.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,563 | 868.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 200,000 | 1.7 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 200,000 | 1.9 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 1,379 | 612.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 303 | 27.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 464 | 34.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 201,185 | 2.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 25,902 | 220.0 |
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.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Northwest conrer of east basin; off of Swift County #5 |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Northeast corner of west basin; off of Swift County #5 |
DNR fish survey, 2017
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 136.50 | 273 | 0.00 |
| Orangespotted sunfish | 50-ft beach seine | 19.00 | 38 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 16.50 | 33 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 10.50 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 50-ft beach seine | 5.00 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 50-ft beach seine | 2.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Fathead minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 1.50 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 1.50 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 15-ft beach seine | 32.25 | 387 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 15-ft beach seine | 10.83 | 130 | 0.00 |
| Orangespotted sunfish | 15-ft beach seine | 4.33 | 52 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 3.67 | 44 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 15-ft beach seine | 2.08 | 25 | 0.00 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | 15-ft beach seine | 1.83 | 22 | 0.00 |
| Fathead minnow | 15-ft beach seine | 1.50 | 18 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 1.50 | 18 | 0.00 |
| Common carp | Backpack electrofishing | 15.33 | 27 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 9.65 | 17 | 0.00 |
| Fathead minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 9.08 | 16 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 7.95 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Bigmouth buffalo | Backpack electrofishing | 6.24 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 5.11 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 4.54 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Orangespotted sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 1.70 | 3 | 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 the nearshore fish community in Oliver Lake (both basins combined) was conducted on July 6, 2017 by Ortonville Area Fisheries staff. Sampling stations were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 14 sites. A 50-foot seine was used to sample two stations and a 15-foot seine was used at twelve stations. At times submerged and emergent trees made sampling difficult, particularly on the south shore of the lake. Nearshore sampling captured 15 native species of fish including two species that are intolerant of habitat disturbance in Iowa Darter and Smallmouth Bass. Data from this targeted nearshore survey was combined with data from a standard gill and trap net survey in June 2016 to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biologic Integrity (FIBI) score that describes the overall health of the lake. 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. 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. The FIBI score for Oliver Lake, based on this survey, is below the impairment 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 Pomme de Terre Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website.
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. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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