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Pelican Lake (Otter Tail County)

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

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56078600

DNR records show 16 stocking entries at Pelican Lake (Otter Tail County) since 2016, most recently muskellunge fingerlings in 2025 (813 fish).

Pelican Lake (Otter Tail County) has 16 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): muskellunge (9), walleye (7).
The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 8,140,500 fish on record.
Maximum depth 55 ft; surface area 3,962 acres, 1,625 littoral acres, 17.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.3 ft.
Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, and 8 more.
2 public accesses on the DNR list.
Most recent DNR fish survey: April 15, 2025 (targeted survey).
Otter Tail County, nearest town Pelican Rapids; DNR lake number (DOW) 56078600.

Depth map

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Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/14/1967 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

Year	Species	Size	Number	Pounds
2025	Muskellunge	fingerlings	813	301.0
2024	Muskellunge	fingerlings	813	140.2
2024	Walleye	fry	1,625,000	14.2
2023	Muskellunge	fingerlings	823	248.4
2023	Walleye¹	fingerlings	9,500	380.0
2022	Muskellunge	fingerlings	825	137.5
2022	Walleye	fry	1,625,000	14.9
2021	Muskellunge	fingerlings	418	44.0
2021	Walleye	fry	1,625,000	14.3
2020	Walleye¹	fingerlings	6,000	800.0
2019	Muskellunge	fingerlings	826	229.4
2018	Muskellunge	fingerlings	813	155.7
2018	Walleye	fry	1,625,000	13.8
2017	Muskellunge	fingerlings	807	242.3
2016	Muskellunge	fingerlings	813	227.2
2016	Walleye	fry	1,625,000	13.8

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
concrete ramp	Minnesota DNR

DNR fish survey, 2025

Fergus Falls Area Fisheries conducted the second and final phase of a mark-recapture sampling effort on the Pelican Chain of Lakes in 2025. Fish were sampled by spring boat electrofishing and assessed for a PIT tag, determining if a fish had been marked in a prior sampling effort or year. Sampling took place for five nights between 4/15/2025 and 5/5/2025. A total of 48 Muskellunge were sampled across these five nights, of which 8 were recaptures. The sampled Muskellunge ranged in size from 23.5 to 52.8 inches in length. Five Muskellunge over 50.0 inches were sampled during the surveys, which was 10.4% of the sample. Population estimates ranged from 229 to 252 fish, equaling approximately one fish per 18 to 20 acres.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, April 15, 2025.

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.

Pelican Lake (Otter Tail County)

Depth map

Stocking history

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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