Spitzer Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56016000
DNR records show 3 stocking entries at Spitzer Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (3,000 fish).
- Spitzer Lake has 3 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2016-2025): walleye (3).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,265,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 33 ft; surface area 731 acres, 631 littoral acres, 20.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, channel catfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Urbank; DNR lake number (DOW) 56016000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,000 | 100.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 631,000 | 5.4 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 631,000 | 5.3 |
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, 2018
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 38.67 | 464 | 0.10 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 33.25 | 399 | 0.28 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 5.42 | 65 | 0.28 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 4.50 | 54 | 0.25 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.83 | 10 | 0.42 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 9 | 1.59 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.42 | 5 | 0.52 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 3 | 0.18 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 38.22 | 344 | 0.18 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 33.00 | 297 | 0.34 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 11.78 | 106 | 2.19 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.89 | 17 | 0.18 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.89 | 17 | 0.11 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.11 | 10 | 2.53 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.56 | 5 | 2.08 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.44 | 4 | 5.19 |
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.
Spitzer Lake is a 728-acre eutrophic (fertile) lake located in south-central Otter Tail County approximately five miles northwest of Urbank, MN. Spitzer Lake is part of the Pomme de Terre River Watershed. There are several intermittent, unnavigable inlets and outlets connected to Spitzer Lake. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of mixed hardwood forests. The maximum depth is 33 feet; however, 87% of the lake is less than 15 feet in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2018 lake survey was 13.1 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 5.1 to 13.1 feet. Periodic plankton and algae blooms during the summer months can influence secchi disk readings on this lake. The majority of the shoreline remains undeveloped. A DNR concrete public water access is located off of County Road 38 along the south shoreline of the lake. Stands of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are scattered along the entire lakeshore. Emergent aquatic plants such as hardstem 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. Spitzer Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass and Bluegill are the dominant gamefish species in the fish community. The abundance of these species can be attributed to the diversity of suitable spawning habitat that is available. A high-density Northern Pike population exists. Pike size structure has historically been poor. Pike ranged in length from 14.6 to 34.9 inches with an average length and weight of 21.2 inches and 2.2 pounds. Northern Pike attain an average length of 23.5 inches at five years of age. Data from an electrofishing assessment indicate that a balanced Largemouth Bass population exists. Age data indicate that Largemouth Bass reproduction is consistently good. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 6.1 to 18.9 inches with an average length and weight of 14.0 inches and 1.8 pounds. Bass attain an average length of 12.8 inches at four years of age. The Bluegill population is abundant and age data indicate that Bluegill reproduction is consistently good; however, size structure is…
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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