Fergus Falls area fisheries staff perform management, habitat and oversight work for 250 fishing lakes and 150 miles of rivers and streams in Otter Tail and Wilkin counties.
Popular area waters are Otter Tail, Big Pine and North Lida lakes. Area staff also manage portions of the Otter Tail, Pelican and Red rivers.
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Variable temperatures make for variable ice conditions. Trust yourself, not others. Stay on shore until there's 4 inches of new, clear ice and follow ice safety precautions.
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Area lakes by county
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- Lake management planning
Lakes scheduled for 2024
People who want to discuss the individual fisheries listed below must call or email this area fisheries office during February. Your observations and comments will be considered as updates begin on these fisheries lake management plans.
Comments from people interested in the health and quality of Minnesota’s fisheries are a critical part of the DNR’s fisheries lake management planning process. These plans establish fisheries management goals and objectives for each lake and guide the work fisheries biologists do each year.
Clicking lake links below take you to LakeFinder, where you can find various lake specific information, including past fisheries surveys. To submit input or learn more about each lake’s management plan, please contact this area office.
Lake (nearest city) County Crystal (Pelican Rapids) Otter Tail Fish (Fergus Falls) Otter Tail Long (Fergus Falls) Otter Tail How you can help
Comments about preferred experiences, observations or general concerns about the fishery – rather than suggestions on how DNR might accomplish a specific goal or objective – are the most helpful kinds of input.
Some questions to consider when formulating input could include:
- What kind of fishing experience are you looking for?
- Are there fish habitat concerns you’d like to share?
- What species of fish are most important to you?
- Do you like catching fewer big fish or a lot of smaller fish?
Individuals as well as representatives of lake associations, outdoors groups, conservations organizations and local units of government are encouraged to comment.
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Fergus Falls staff
Slide text left for phones & emails
Name
Position
Phone
Email
Jim Wolters Area supervisor 218-671-7954 [email protected] Luke Schalekamp Assistant area supervisor 218-671-7956 [email protected] Steve Kubeny Fisheries specialist 218-671-7960 [email protected] Ben Johnson Fisheries technician 218-671-7957 [email protected] Vacant Fisheries specialist 218-671-7958 Marnie Franze Office administrative specialist 218-671-7978 [email protected]