Stalker Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56043700
DNR records show 11 stocking entries at Stalker Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (9,645 fish).
- Stalker Lake has 11 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (11).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 79,089 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 95 ft; surface area 1,357 acres, 575 littoral acres, 8.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.4 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, longnose gar, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, and 5 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Underwood; DNR lake number (DOW) 56043700.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 8/23/1963 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fingerlings | 9,645 | 679.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 4 | 4.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 10,320 | 344.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 8,340 | 616.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 9,750 | 375.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fingerlings | 4,704 | 597.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 11,780 | 310.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 13,682 | 583.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 4,086 | 195.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 6,045 | 403.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 733 | 315.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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, 2022
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 4.22 | 38 | 0.13 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 3.78 | 34 | 2.09 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.11 | 28 | 2.47 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.56 | 14 | 0.05 |
| Longnose gar | Standard gill nets | 0.89 | 8 | 1.85 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.89 | 8 | 1.17 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.63 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.80 |
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.
Stalker Lake is a 1,280-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in southwestern Otter Tail County, approximately seven miles southeast of Underwood, MN. Stalker Lake is part of the Pomme de Terre River Watershed. The Pomme de Terre River outlet is located along the southwest shoreline of the lake. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of hardwood forest interspersed with areas of agricultural land. Stalker Lake has a maximum depth of 95 feet; however, 45% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The morphometry of Stalker Lake is unique; numerous humps and bars exist throughout the lake. The secchi disk reading during the 2022 lake survey was 7.5 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 3.5 to 7.9 feet. The shoreline of Stalker Lake is moderately developed. A DNR owned concrete public water access is located along the southwest shoreline. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Large stands of hardstem bulrush, common cattail, and wild rice are prevalent throughout the entire lake. Emergent aquatic plants 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. To maintain the excellent water quality and angling that this lake has to offer, it is imperative to preserve the quality of the aquatic habitat. A special gillnetting survey was conducted to analyze the Walleye and Northern Pike populations. Walleye abundance increased slightly from the previous three surveys. Walleyes ranged in length from 9.5 to 24.6 inches with an average length and weight of 17.5 inches and 2.1 pounds. Walleyes attain an average length of 14.9 inches at three years of age. A moderate density Northern Pike population exists and age data indicate that Northern Pike reproduction is consistently good. Pike ranged in length from 17.4 to 29.6 inches with an average length and weight of 22.6 inches and 2.5 pounds. Pike attain an average length of 23.6 inches at four years of age. Anglers can maintain the quality of fishing by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium and large size fish while allowing the harvest of more abundant smaller fish for table fare. Releasing the medium to large fish…
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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