Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest June 14, 1999
Species recorded at Tonseth Lake
12 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 Tonseth Lake
No stocking record for Tonseth 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 June 14, 1999 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Tonseth Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Tonseth 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
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1999-06-14 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 1999-06-14 (Standard Survey)
27 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 55.69 | 3–8 in 1999-06-14 | 0.12 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 38.42 | 5–18 in 1999-06-14 | 0.77 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 12.31 | 5–12 in 1999-06-14 | 0.4 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 10.34 | 3–8 in 1999-06-14 | 0.24 lb |
| Black Crappie | 7.82 | 4–12 in 1999-06-14 | 0.34 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 7.58 | 3–7 in 1999-06-14 | 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.
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
Yellow Bullhead
Hybrid Sunfish
From the 1999-06-14 survey
Tonseth Lake is located in west-central Otter Tail County approximately eight miles southeast of Erhard, MN. Tonseth Lake is a 156-acre moderately fertile lake that is part of the Otter Tail River Watershed. Two small intermittent inlets are located along the north shoreline of the lake and an outlet to Kempfer Lake…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Tonseth Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — TonsethFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Tonseth Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 14, 1999 caught 0.50 walleye per gill net at Tonseth Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 12 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 Tonseth Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Tonseth Lake is dated June 14, 1999. 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 Tonseth Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Tonseth 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 Tonseth Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Tonseth 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 Tonseth Lake
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