Hoot Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota161 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Hoot Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- zebra mussel
- 20 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Hoot Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 161.33 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 2.17 walleye per gill net at Hoot Lake. DNR survey details →
Hoot Lake is a 161-acre lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 20 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 16 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-08-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Hoot Lake covers about 160 acres in Otter Tail County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Hoot Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Hoot Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.7 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing16 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hoot 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 Hoot Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Hoot 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 11.7 ft. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.7ft | 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. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Hoot Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 2.17 walleye per gill net at Hoot Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hoot Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is improving. 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: 2025-07-07 (Standard Survey).
6 surveys on file · most recent 2025-07-07 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smallmouth Bass | 39.82 | 6–20 in 2025-07-07 | 2.15 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 27.54 | 5–7 in 2025-07-07 | 0.08 lb |
| Bluegill | 22.20 | 3–8 in 2025-07-07 | 0.15 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 14.58 | 3–19 in 2025-07-07 | 1.13 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.09 | 14–30 in 2025-07-07 | 2.44 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 2.55 | 3–6 in 2025-07-07 | 0.15 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.
Smallmouth Bass
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
From the 2025-07-07 survey
Hoot Lake is a 155-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in southwest Otter Tail County. Hoot Lake is located within the city limits of Fergus Falls, MN. Hoot Lake is part of the Otter Tail River chain of lakes. The Otter Tail River enters the lake along the northeast shoreline and outlets to Wright Lake…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Hoot Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — HootFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Hoot (1180)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — HootFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — HootPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
20 ft
Surface area
161 acres
Shoreline
2.9 mi
Littoral zone
39%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,257 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Hoot 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 Hoot Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hoot 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 Hoot Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
Follow Hoot Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Hoot 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 readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2022–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hoot Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hoot Lake (completed 1913), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Ottertail River; gravity-type dam, 10 ft tall and 226 ft long.
- Max storage
- 99 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,240 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Otter Tail Power Company
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00194 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Hoot Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger.
- Otter Tail Power Co - Hoot Lake PlantFergus Falls · 1.1 mi away · NPDES MN0002011Major
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Otter Tail County
Frequently asked questions about Hoot Lake
Where is Hoot Lake?
- Hoot 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 Hoot Lake?
- Hoot Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 161.33 acres.
Is Hoot Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Hoot Lake?
- Hoot Lake has a maximum depth of 20 feet. The lake covers 161.33 acres.
What fish are in Hoot Lake?
- Fish species found in Hoot Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, greater redhorse, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake sturgeon, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Hoot Lake is located in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Hoot Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 7, 2025 caught 2.17 walleye per gill net at Hoot Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Hoot Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Hoot Lake?
- Hoot Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hoot Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Hoot Lake?
- Hoot 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.
Explore Hoot Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
7 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA7 samples · 2022–2024
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory