Paul Lake

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56033500

DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Paul Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2024 (2,560 fish).

• Paul Lake has 6 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (6).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 13,554 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 81 ft; surface area 346 acres, 109 littoral acres, 3.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 16.7 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: August 31, 2020 (targeted survey).
• Otter Tail County, nearest town Perham; DNR lake number (DOW) 56033500.

Stocking history

² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2020

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.

Paul Lake is a 319-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in north-central Otter Tail County approximately six miles west of Perham, MN. Paul Lake is located within the Otter Tail River Watershed. The immediate watershed is composed of hardwood forest interspersed with agricultural land and marshes. The maximum depth is 81 feet; however, 34% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2020 lake survey was 9.0 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 16.0 to 23.0 feet in previous surveys. Development is located around the entire lake with the exception of the north shoreline. A DNR owned concrete public water access is located off of County Highway 34 along the north shoreline. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Emergent aquatic plants such as Hardstem Bulrush and Common Cattail are extremely rare in Paul Lake. A special gillnetting survey was conducted to analyze the Walleye and Northern Pike populations. Walleye abundance has historically been stable and the Walleye numbers in the 2020 survey were the highest of all time. Walleyes ranged in length from 12.2 to 29.5 inches with an average length and weight of 21.2 inches and 3.9 pounds. Walleyes attain an average length of 15.2 inches at four years of age. Northern Pike abundance has remained stable over the recent series of surveys. Age data indicate that Northern Pike reproduction is consistently good due to increased water levels, which has allowed pike access to adjacent marshes for spawning. Northern Pike ranged in length from 13.5 to 33.8 inches with an average length and weight of 20.9 inches and 2.4 pounds. Northern Pike attain an average length of 21.4 inches at four 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. Paul Lake was listed as infested with zebra mussels in 2013. Aquatic invasive species are threatening Minnesota waters. Aquatic invasive 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, August 31, 2020.

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