Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest July 14, 2008
Species recorded at Fish Lake
17 species on the Minnesota DNR list for this lake. A species on the list has been recorded here; it does not mean it is catchable today or in every part of the lake.
Stocking at Fish Lake
No stocking record for Fish Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is an absence in the published record, not a confirmation that the lake is unstocked — some waters are managed as naturally reproducing and never appear in a stocking list at all.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 14, 2008 caught 4.67 walleye per gill net at Fish Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Fish Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2008-07-14 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2008-07-14 (Standard Survey)
18 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 20.23 | 3–9 in 2008-07-14 | 0.16 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 4.73 | 8–13 in 2008-07-14 | 0.7 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.23 | 10–33 in 2008-07-14 | 1.31 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 4.05 | 3–8 in 2008-07-14 | 0.27 lb |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 2.32 | 11–17 in 2008-07-14 | 1.13 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 2.30 | 4–7 in 2008-07-14 | 0.23 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
Northern Pike
Hybrid Sunfish
From the 2008-07-14 survey
Fish Lake is a 267-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in northwest Otter Tail County nine miles northeast of Pelican Rapids, MN. A portion of Fish Lake is also referred to as Bass Lake. Fish Lake is connected to Pelican Lake by a navigable channel. The immediate watershed is composed of mixed hardwood…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Fish Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — FishFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Fish Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 14, 2008 caught 4.67 walleye per gill net at Fish Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 17 species for the lake in total. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Fish Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Fish Lake is dated July 14, 2008. Survey intervals vary by lake and by species; a gap of several years between surveys is normal and does not mean the record is missing.
Is Fish Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Fish Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is not the same as a confirmed unstocked lake: it means no stocking document was published for it in the records this page draws on.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Fish Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Fish Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Before you eat what you catch
Water-quality readings are not a consumption advisory. Mercury and PCB advice for Minnesota waters comes from MDH, and it is issued per species and per size class: a lake with clear, low-nutrient water can still carry a meal limit on larger predator fish.
Where to stay near Fish Lake
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