Deer Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota447 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Deer Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- zebra mussel
- 26 ft max depth
- Public access
Deer Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 26 ft. Surface area: 447.07 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 5, 2019 caught 3.56 walleye per gill net at Deer Lake. DNR survey details →
Deer Lake is a 447-acre mesotrophic lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 26 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 16 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 65 other monitored lakes in Otter Tail County, Deer Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Deer Lake covers about 450 acres in Otter Tail County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 20, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Deer Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Deer Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.3 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing16 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 20
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Deer Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Deer Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Deer Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 12.3 ft. Phosphorus 21 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.8 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 21µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Deer Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Deer Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in May (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 52 field readings (2018–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Deer Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (173,780 cells/mL) on July 6, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 5, 2019 caught 3.56 walleye per gill net at Deer Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Deer Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
10 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2024-06-10 (Targeted Survey).
10 surveys on file · most recent 2024-06-10 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 25.12 | 2–8 in 2024-06-10 | 0.12 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 9.66 | 5–16 in 2019-08-05 | 0.78 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 4.68 | 3–7 in 2024-06-10 | 0.17 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 3.78 | 4–6 in 2019-08-05 | 0.2 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.33 | 11–33 in 2019-08-05 | 1.06 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 3.31 | 9–13 in 2019-08-05 | 0.73 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
Pumpkinseed
Yellow Perch
From the 2024-06-10 survey
Deer Lake is a 457-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County approximately five miles north of Battle Lake, MN. Deer Lake is connected to Otter Tail Lake via the Otter Tail River. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Deer Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — DeerFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Deer (1164)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — DeerFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — DeerPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
26 ft
Surface area
447 acres
Shoreline
3.9 mi
Littoral zone
68%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Deer LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Deer Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Deer Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Deer Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Deer Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Deer Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.33 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.3 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 20
Earliest Mar 15, 2024 · Latest Apr 30, 2023
Typical ice-in
Nov 24
Earliest Nov 10, 2018 · Latest Dec 7, 2016
Most recent ice-out
Mar 15
2024
13 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Otter Tail County
Frequently asked questions about Deer Lake
Where is Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake is a lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 26 ft. Surface area: 447.07 acres.
Is Deer Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September, from 52 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2018–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake has a maximum depth of 26 feet. The lake covers 447.07 acres.
What fish are in Deer Lake?
- Fish species found in Deer Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake sturgeon, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Deer Lake is located in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Deer Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 5, 2019 caught 3.56 walleye per gill net at Deer Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Deer Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Deer Lake thaw?
- Deer Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 20. Ice typically forms around Nov 24. The open water season is approximately 218 days.
Does Deer Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Deer Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (173,780 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Are there boat ramps on Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Deer Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
75 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA75 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate