Otter Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota77 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Otter Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 64 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Otter Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 64 ft. Surface area: 77.13 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 11, 2007 caught 3.00 northern pike per gill net at Otter Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–35 inches. DNR survey details →
Otter Lake is a 77-acre lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 64 feet (14-foot average). The lake supports 7 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and largemouth bass. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2020-09-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Otter Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water18 ft of visibility
- Fishing7 species recorded
- 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 Otter 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 Otter Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Otter Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down. TSI 35.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 18ft | 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. | 35 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Otter Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 11, 2007 caught 3.00 northern pike per gill net at Otter Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–35 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Otter Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2007-06-11 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2007-06-11 (Standard Survey)
19 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 46.04 | 3–9 in 2007-06-11 | 0.15 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 7.08 | 3–8 in 2007-06-11 | 0.23 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 3.33 | 5–10 in 2007-06-11 | 0.16 lb |
| Black Crappie | 2.61 | 3–11 in 2007-06-11 | 0.38 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.07 | 14–35 in 2007-06-11 | 3.17 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 1.20 | 4–13 in 2007-06-11 | 0.32 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
Pumpkinseed
Yellow Perch
Black Crappie
From the 2007-06-11 survey
Otter Lake is 97-acre mesotrophic lake located in northwest Otter Tail County. Otter Lake is located within the Otter Tail River Watershed. There are no inlets or outlets connected to the lake. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of hardwood forest. The maximum depth of Otter Lake is 64 feet; however, 51% of…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Otter Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — OtterFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
64 ft
Average depth
14 ft
Surface area
77 acres
Shoreline
2.1 mi
Littoral zone
64%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,368 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Otter Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Otter Lake
Nearby Lakes in Otter Tail County
Frequently asked questions about Otter Lake
Where is Otter Lake?
- Otter 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 Otter Lake?
- Otter Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 64 ft. Surface area: 77.13 acres.
Is Otter Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Otter Lake?
- Otter Lake has a maximum depth of 64 feet and an average depth of 14 feet. The lake covers 77.13 acres.
What fish are in Otter Lake?
- Fish species found in Otter Lake include black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, white sucker, yellow perch. Otter Lake is located in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Otter Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 11, 2007 caught 3.00 northern pike per gill net at Otter Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 14–35 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Otter Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Otter Lake?
- Public access to Otter Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA4 samples · 2020
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