Stuart Lake (Otter Tail County)
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56019100
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Stuart Lake (Otter Tail County) since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2025 (231 fish).
- Stuart Lake (Otter Tail County) has 7 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2025): walleye (7).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,224,080 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 49 ft, mean depth 17 ft; surface area 740 acres, 405 littoral acres, 8.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 14.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Vining; DNR lake number (DOW) 56019100.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 231 | 212.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 173 | 230.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 500 | 10.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 407,000 | 3.6 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 407,000 | 3.5 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 407,000 | 3.5 |
| 2016 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,176 | 136.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Special trap nets | 29.80 | 149 | 0.36 |
| Pumpkinseed | Special trap nets | 11.80 | 59 | 0.34 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Special trap nets | 8.00 | 40 | 0.47 |
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.
Stuart Lake is a 699-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in south-central Otter Tail County, one mile west of Vining, MN. Stuart Lake is connected to East Battle Lake via a non-navigable outlet along the north shoreline. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 49 feet; however, 58% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2019 lake survey was 13.5 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 7.8 to 24.0 feet. A majority of the shoreline of Stuart Lake is developed with homes and cabins. A DNR owned public water access is located along the north shoreline. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Stands of hardstem bulrush, common cattail, and wild rice are scattered throughout the lake. Emergent plants provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat, and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms, and can absorb and break down polluting chemicals. Emergent plants also provide critical spawning habitat for fish such as Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and panfish. They also serve as an important nursery area 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 reduced daily bag limit regulation for Sunfish (10 per day) was implemented in 2021. The objective of the regulation is to maintain the quality of the Bluegill size structure. . A special spring trapnetting survey was conducted to collect baseline data on the Bluegill population, which will be used for regulation evaluation purposes in future surveys. The Bluegill population is abundant and has a high quality size structure. Fifty-one percent of the Bluegill sample was 8.0 inches or greater in length, while 76% was 7.0 inches or greater in length. Age data indicate that Bluegill reproduction is consistently good. Bluegills attain an average length of 8.3 inches at eight years of age. A spring trapnetting survey was conducted to analyze the Black Crappie population. In 2005, a 10-inch minimum length limit for Black Crappies was implemented. The objective of the regulation was to maintain or improve the size structure of the Black Crappie population. Data collected in Black Crappie surveys since 2005 indicate that the regulation has been successful in maintaining a quality population. Black…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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