South Lida Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56074702
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at South Lida Lake since 2019, most recently walleye yearlings in 2025 (4,000 fish).
- South Lida Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2019-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 550,461 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 48 ft; surface area 777 acres, 356 littoral acres, 9.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.9 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, smallmouth bass, and 5 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Pelican Rapids; DNR lake number (DOW) 56074702.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 1/1/1957 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 4,000 | 500.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 533 | 435.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | adults | 838 | 419.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 7,350 | 245.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,410 | 262.3 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 178,000 | 1.5 |
| 2021 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 330 | 33.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 178,000 | 1.6 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 178,000 | 1.5 |
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 |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 10.11 | 91 | 2.05 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 5.22 | 47 | 0.28 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.33 | 21 | 1.43 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.22 | 20 | 0.91 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 2.11 | 19 | 2.53 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 2.11 | 19 | 0.09 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.55 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.37 |
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.
South Lida Lake is an 856-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in northwestern Otter Tail County approximately five miles east of Pelican Rapids, MN. South Lida Lake is connected to North Lida Lake by a navigable culvert under State Highway 108 along the north shoreline of the lake. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of hardwood forest. The maximum depth is 48 feet; however, 42% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2021 survey was 9.2 feet. Historical secchi disk readings have ranged from 2.9 to 9.3 feet. The south and west shorelines of South Lida Lake have been extensively developed with homes and cabins. A majority of the east shoreline is located within the boundaries of Maplewood State Park. A DNR owned public water access is located within the state park along the southeast shoreline. A public swimming beach and campground are also located along the east shoreline in the state park. Large stands of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are scattered along the undeveloped sections of shoreline. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush and cattail provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat, and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms, and can actually absorb and break down polluting chemicals. Emergent plants provide spawning areas for fish such as Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and panfish. They also serve as important nursery areas for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. A special gillnetting survey was conducted to analyze the Walleye and Northern Pike populations. Walleye abundance has declined in recent surveys. Walleyes ranged in length from 15.3 to 22.5 inches with an average length and weight of 19.9 inches and 2.5 pounds. Walleyes attain an average length of 13.8 inches at five years of age. Northern Pike abundance has increased in recent surveys. Age data indicate that Northern Pike reproduction is consistently good. Pike ranged in length from 16.7 to 33.4 inches with an average length and weight of 21.2 inches and 2.1 pounds. Pike attain an average length of 23.8 inches at five years of age. Harvest regulations for Walleye, Black Crappie, and Bluegill have been implemented on South Lida Lake. The Walleye regulation is a 17.0 to 26.0 inch protected slot limit with one over 26.0 inches allowed in possession. The Black Crappie regulation is an 11-inch minimum length limit. The Bluegill regulation is a 10 fish daily bag limit. The intent of these…
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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