Otter Lake

McLeod County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

5ft Max
depth

642 acres 1 contour Public access

Paddling Index37Modestsheltered geometry · carry-in access

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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Otter Lake is mapped to a depth of 5 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 642 acres in McLeod County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1976.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 5 ft
Survey year: 1976
Surface area: 642 acres
Shoreline: 13.56 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 5% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Trailer Launch · Otter Lake (E) Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site · 2 more

Additional depth details1 contour

Contour depths: 0–5 ft
Recorded point soundings: 5 ft

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Location

McLeod County, Minnesota · all 7 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MN DNR Lake Bathymetric Contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

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Map details & sources4 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 44.88734, -94.41034
MN DNR lake ID: 43008500
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25

37 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Otter Lake has a substantially developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, substantial nearby higher-volume roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Modest	0.7 of 35	9% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (4% forest, 3% wetland; 64% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	18.1 of 29	mean fetch 1,036 m · 8% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Motor & speed rules	Not modeled	—	Minnesota’s lake-by-lake motor, speed and no-wake rules are mostly county and city ordinances, not map data, so they are not part of the Minnesota index. Check local signage and ordinances before going out.
Public access	Excellent	17.6 of 18	3 DNR public access sites · carry-in or canoe launch · boat ramp
Road isolation	Modest	0.9 of 18	substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 97 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 11,495 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity: Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 5% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity: Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential: Limited — 4% forest and 3% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
State water trail: On a state water trail — Part of a designated Minnesota State Water Trail: Crow River, South Fork. · MN DNR State Water Trails

Compare Minnesota lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public land-cover, access and traffic-count data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights for Minnesota lakes: natural setting 35%, geometric wind exposure 29%, public access 18%, road isolation 18%. Motor, speed and no-wake rules are not modeled for Minnesota, and traffic counts cover state, county and some city roads but not township roads. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Minnesota scores are relative to other Minnesota lakes and are not directly comparable with Paddling Index scores on our sister sites, which use different data sources, some with a watercraft-rules component. Sources: MN DNR lake bathymetry outline, USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), MN DNR Water Access Sites and Fishing Piers & Shore Fishing Sites (2026-09) and MnDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (counts 2013–2025). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys

22 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colors, not photographs (provenance).

Northern Pike

Common Carp

Bigmouth Buffalo

Channel Catfish

Walleye

Largemouth Bass

White Sucker

Shorthead Redhorse

Hybrid Sunfish

Sunfish

Green Sunfish

Golden Shiner

Fathead Minnow

Spottail Shiner

Johnny Darter

About these fish → the Fish of Minnesota guide

Compiled from Minnesota DNR fishery surveys. Silhouettes are stylized and scaled to typical adult sizes relative to one another. Presence is not a promise — fishing isn’t a sure thing.

Fishery

surveyed 2012

3,890Fish sampled

22Species

Gamefish Walleye 134 · Northern Pike 84 · Channel Catfish 82 · Largemouth Bass 45

Panfish Bluegill 2,335 · Black Crappie 165 · White Crappie 25

All survey species22 species

Gamefish

Walleye134 caught · to 22″

Northern Pike84 caught · to 32″

Channel Catfish82 caught · to 27″

Largemouth Bass45 caught · to 15″

Panfish

Bluegill2,335 caught · to 7″

Black Crappie165 caught · to 11″

White Crappie25 caught · to 13″

Yellow Perch22 caught · to 9″

Green Sunfish18 caught

Hybrid Sunfish1 caught

Bullhead & catfish

Black Bullhead662 caught · to 18″

Yellow Bullhead3 caught · to 11″

Brown Bullhead1 caught · to 13″

Forage & nongame

Common Carp103 caught · to 32″

Golden Shiner60 caught

Sunfish45 caught

Fathead Minnow34 caught

White Sucker32 caught · to 17″

Bigmouth Buffalo19 caught · to 18″

Spottail Shiner11 caught

Shorthead Redhorse6 caught · to 17″

Johnny Darter3 caught

Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

Infested waters listing

Not on the Minnesota DNR’s infested waters list as of September 9, 2026. This does not mean the lake is free of invasive species: the list covers certain species only, and a species can be present before anyone finds it.

What does the infested waters list mean?

The Minnesota DNR lists a lake, river, pond or wetland as infested when it contains an aquatic invasive species that could spread to other waters, or when it is connected to a water where one is present. Activities such as bait harvest and water use are managed differently on infested waters. Check the current list before moving water, bait or equipment.

Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. List of Infested Waters, September 9, 2026. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/infested.html

Quick answers

Otter Lake — common questions

How deep is Otter Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Otter Lake is 5 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Otter Lake?

Otter Lake covers about 642 acres in McLeod County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Otter Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include channel catfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, black bullhead, black crappie. The page lists all 22 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Otter Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists 3 public access sites on Otter Lake: Otter Lake (E) Public Water Access Site (boat ramp); South Fork of Crow River, Roberts Park Public Water Access Site (boat ramp); Otter Lake (W) Public Water Access Site (carry-in launch).

More lakes in McLeod County