West Silent Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56051900
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at West Silent Lake since 2017, most recently walleye yearlings in 2025 (1,250 fish).
- West Silent Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2025): walleye (8), yellow perch (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 601,300 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 58 ft; surface area 347 acres, 118 littoral acres, 4.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Pelican Rapids; DNR lake number (DOW) 56051900.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 1,250 | 125.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 119,000 | 1.1 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 119,000 | 1.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 3,750 | 125.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 119,000 | 1.1 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 119,000 | 1.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 1,300 | 64.0 |
| 2019 | Yellow Perch1 | adults | 1,000 | 38.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 119,000 | 1.0 |
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, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 98.58 | 79 | 0.84 |
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 Silent Lake is a 328-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in north-central Otter Tail County approximately eight miles east of Pelican Rapids, MN. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 58 feet; however, 36% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Historical secchi disk readings have ranged from 12.1 to 24.0 feet. A majority of the shoreline is developed with homes and cabins. A DNR owned public water access is located along the east shoreline of the lake off of County Road 41. A DNR owned carry-in public water access is located along the west shoreline. The shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Emergent aquatic plants such as hardstem bulrush and common cattail are scattered around the lake but are most prevalent in the west bay. Emergent plants provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat, and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms from erosion and can absorb and breakdown polluting chemicals. Emergent plants provide spawning habitat for fish species like Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and panfish. They also serve as important nursery areas for all species of fish. Because of their ecological importance, 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 spring electrofishing survey was conducted to analyze the Largemouth Bass population. Catch and age data indicate that Largemouth Bass are extremely abundant and that successful reproduction consistently occurs at high levels. Bass ranged in length from 2.7 inches to 16.6 inches. Largemouth Bass growth is slow with an average length of 13.6 inches at five years of age. There are no special or experimental Largemouth Bass harvest regulations in effect for West Silent Lake. Anglers can maintain the quality of fishing by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium to large fish while allowing the harvest of more abundant smaller fish for table fare. Releasing the medium to large fish will ensure that the lake will have enough spawning age fish on an annual basis and will provide anglers with more opportunities to catch large fish in the future. West Silent Lake was designated as infested with zebra mussels in 2021. Aquatic invasive species are threatening Minnesota waters. Aquatic invasive species can potentially harm water quality, water…
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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