Ethel Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota191 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Ethel Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- zebra mussel
- 64 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Ethel Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 64 ft. Surface area: 191.12 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 16, 2025 caught 0.83 walleye per gill net at Ethel Lake. DNR survey details →
Ethel Lake is a 191-acre lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 64 feet. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Ethel Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.6 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 15
- Deep water64 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ethel 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 Ethel Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Ethel 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 14.6 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Ethel Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Ethel Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 78°F) and coldest in May (about 57°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (57°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 15 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Ethel Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 16, 2025 caught 0.83 walleye per gill net at Ethel Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ethel 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
6 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-07-16 (Targeted Survey).
6 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-16 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 74.06 | ||
| Bluegill | 29.58 | 2–9 in 2025-07-16 | 0.2 lb |
| Spottail Shiner | 21.53 | ||
| Yellow Bullhead | 9.79 | 5–11 in 2025-07-16 | 0.51 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
Yellow Bullhead
From the 2025-07-16 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Ethel Lake was conducted on July 16 -July 17, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) Program 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…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Ethel Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — EthelFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Ethel (0965)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — EthelFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — EthelPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
64 ft
Surface area
191 acres
Shoreline
3.2 mi
Littoral zone
36%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,329 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Ethel 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 Ethel Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ethel 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 Ethel Lake
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Follow Ethel Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Ethel 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
Stable6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 15
Earliest Apr 10, 2005 · Latest May 1, 2008
Typical ice-in
Dec 8
Earliest Nov 11, 2003 · Latest Dec 14, 2004
Most recent ice-out
May 1
2008
8 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Otter Tail County
Frequently asked questions about Ethel Lake
Where is Ethel Lake?
- Ethel 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 Ethel Lake?
- Ethel Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 64 ft. Surface area: 191.12 acres.
Is Ethel 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 Ethel Lake?
- Ethel Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September, from 15 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Ethel Lake?
- Ethel Lake has a maximum depth of 64 feet. The lake covers 191.12 acres.
What fish are in Ethel Lake?
- Fish species found in Ethel Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Ethel Lake is located in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Ethel Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 16, 2025 caught 0.83 walleye per gill net at Ethel Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Ethel 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 Ethel Lake thaw?
- Ethel Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 15. Ice typically forms around Dec 8. The open water season is approximately 237 days.
Are there boat ramps on Ethel Lake?
- Ethel Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Ethel Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Ethel Lake?
- Ethel 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
55 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
MNPCA55 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate