West Leaf Lake

Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56011400

DNR records show 9 stocking entries at West Leaf Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (3,000 fish).

• West Leaf Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): walleye (9).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,128,452 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 55 ft; surface area 700 acres, 256 littoral acres, 6.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.5 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, and 6 more.
• 1 public access on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: July 25, 2022 (targeted survey).
• Otter Tail County, nearest town Ottertail; DNR lake number (DOW) 56011400.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/18/1958 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

¹ fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2022

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.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in West Leaf Lake was conducted on July 25, 2022 by Fergus Falls Area Fisheries Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all fourteen sampling stations, but two stations were moved a short distance due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample four stations, a 15-foot seine was used at seven stations, and soft sediments and abundant vegetation prevented the use of seines at three stations. Nearshore sampling captured 21 species of fish including eight species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Least Darter, Logperch, Mottled Sculpin, and Rock Bass) and two species that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a July 2022 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Least Darter, Logperch, Mottled Sculpin, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey indicates West Leaf Lake is in good health as indicated by a high FIBI score, well above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Leaf River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, July 25, 2022.

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