Sallie Lake

Becker County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 03035900

DNR records show 21 stocking entries at Sallie Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (677,000 fish).

• Sallie Lake has 21 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (21).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 12,781,021 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 50 ft, mean depth 17 ft; surface area 1,280 acres, 577 littoral acres, 5.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.6 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), and 4 more.
• 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 25, 2024 (targeted survey).
• Becker County, nearest town Detroit Lakes; DNR lake number (DOW) 03035900.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/7/1985 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2024

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 Lake Sallie was conducted July 26th, 29th, and 30th, 2024, by Detroit Lakes Fisheries Staff. Data was collected from 18 sampling stations evenly spaced around the lake. All stations were sampled with a backpack electrofishing unit, 13 were sampled with a 50-foot seine and 5 stations were sampled with a 15-foot seine. Nearshore sampling captured 23 species of native fish, which included eight species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Mimic Shiner, Logperch, Iowa Darter, Least Darter and Rock Bass) and one species that are tolerant of disturbance (Green Sunfish). The three most common species captured during the nearshore survey in order of abundance were: Spottail Shiner, Bluegill, and Iowa Darter. One Least Darter was captured during this survey, marking the first known documentation of Least Darter in Lake Sallie. The nearshore fish survey data was combined with the standard survey data from July 2024 to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity (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., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead, 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. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to a watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. Lake Sallie is located in the Otter Tail River Watershed.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 25, 2024.

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