Walker Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56031000
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Walker Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (342,000 fish).
- Walker Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 3,136,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 29 ft; surface area 578 acres, 342 littoral acres, 4.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.4 ft.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Ottertail; DNR lake number (DOW) 56031000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/4/1969 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 342,000 | 3.1 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 400,000 | 3.5 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 342,000 | 2.9 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 342,000 | 3.1 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 342,000 | 3.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 342,000 | 2.9 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 342,000 | 2.9 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 342,000 | 2.9 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 342,000 | 2.9 |
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, 2014
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 15.44 | 139 | 0.10 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.33 | 30 | 1.76 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 27 | 0.39 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.99 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.22 | 11 | 2.31 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.58 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.49 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.30 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 8.75 | 70 | 0.31 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 2.50 | 20 | 0.80 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.38 | 19 | 0.30 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.75 | 14 | 0.79 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 1.38 | 11 | 2.86 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.25 | 10 | 0.48 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 1.12 | 9 | 3.75 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.88 | 7 | 2.11 |
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.
Walker Lake is a 540-acre eutrophic (fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County approximately four miles west of Ottertail City. The Dead River inlet is located along the north shoreline and outlets into Otter Tail Lake along the south shoreline. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of marshland and agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. Walker Lake has a maximum depth of 29 feet; however, 63% of the lake is less than 15 feet in depth. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and muck. Development is primarily limited to the north and south shorelines. A public water access is located along the north shoreline. The secchi disk reading during the 2014 survey was 11.0 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 4.7 to 5.5 feet. Large areas of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are present around the lake. 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. Walker Lake is a very popular lake for Walleye fishing, especially during the first two weeks of the season. Walleyes migrate from Otter Tail Lake through Walker Lake and up the Dead River to spawn in mid to late April. They return to Walker Lake to feed once spawning is completed and before migrating back to Otter Tail Lake. Anglers take advantage of this and usually experience some excellent fishing during this time period. Because the degree of migration can vary from year to year, Walleye abundance can fluctuate greatly. Walker Lake is stocked annually with Walleye fry to replace eggs taken by the DNR at the Walleye egg-take site at the Walker Lake Hatchery. Walleyes sampled in this assessment ranged in length from 10.8 to 18.5 inches with an average length and weight of 14.0 inches and 1.3 pounds. Walker Lake also provides some excellent Bluegill fishing at various times of the year. Bluegills are abundant and possess a good size structure. In this assessment, fifty-one percent of the Bluegills measured 7.0 inches or greater in length. Age data indicate that Bluegill reproduction is consistently good. Bluegills exhibit fast growth with an average length of 7.2 inches at four years of age. Anglers…
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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