West Olaf Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56095001
West Olaf Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- West Olaf Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 61 ft; surface area 209 acres, 73 littoral acres, 5.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bluegill, green sunfish, largemouth bass, sunfish, yellow bullhead.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Pelican Rapids; DNR lake number (DOW) 56095001.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey (get source); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2007
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 42.27 | 23 | 1.42 |
| Black crappie | Standard electrofishing | 20.21 | 11 | 0.24 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 34.83 | 209 | 0.16 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 19.33 | 116 | 0.62 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.83 | 17 | 0.14 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.17 | 13 | 3.57 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 6 | 2.05 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 6 | 0.11 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.12 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 5.47 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 32.25 | 258 | 0.10 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 10.88 | 87 | 0.67 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 2.62 | 21 | 0.17 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.12 | 17 | 0.17 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.12 | 9 | 0.79 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.88 | 7 | 0.25 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 2 | 0.07 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.12 | 1 | 2.37 |
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.
West Olaf Lake is a 143-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in west central Otter Tail County, approximately 6 miles west of the city Pelican Rapids. There are no inlets or outlets located on West Olaf. Water levels are approximately 6 to 8 feet above normal levels, thus making the state owned (DNR) access unusable. The DNR owned access is located on the northeast shoreline, located just off Co. Rd. 30. Access is currently gained off of Co. Rd. 30, however parking is limited and not allowed along the waters edge of Co. Rd. 30. West Olaf Lake is part of the Buffalo River watershed and is composed primarily of agricultural land and interspersed with hardwood lots. West Olaf Lake has a maximum depth of 61 feet; 51% of the surface acreage is less than 15 feet deep. The secchi disk reading, a measurement of water clarity, was 8.5 feet. Past secchi disk readings have ranged from 11.0 to 15.5 feet. West Olaf Lake is included in lake class 25 of the MNDNR lake classification scheme. Other lakes in the Fergus Falls management area that are in lake class 25 include: Bass (Elbow), Beers, Franklin, Jolly Ann, Leek, South Lida, Long, Red River, Schwartz, Sewell, West Silent, East Spirit, Stuart, Swan, and Sybil. The majority of the shoreline is undeveloped. Shoreline substrates consist primarily of sand scattered with gravel and rubble with some muck mixed in. The abundance of emergent aquatic plants has been negatively effected by the recent years of high water. However bulrush and cattail are present in areas throughout the basin. These emergent 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. Northern pike abundance is low, but the size structure appears to be good as 54% of the northern pike sampled by gill nets were 24-inches or greater. Age data from recent surveys indicate that pike recruitment is low but it is consistent. The average length and weight of northern pike sampled by gill nets was 25.1 inches and 3.6 pounds. Northern pike attain a mean length of 19.3 inches at age-III. Bluegill abundance is considered to be within the normal range for lakes of this type, however the size structure is poor. Only 4% of the bluegills…
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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