Eagle

Eagle Lake is a 312-acre lake located two miles west of Frazee. The city of Frazee owns the park and public access on the southeast shore of the lake. The south and west shores are heavily developed while the north and east shores are lightly developed, with the exception of an RV campground on the north shore. Submerged vegetation is common throughout near shore areas. A standard fisheries survey was completed in August 2023 to assess the fish populations in Eagle Lake. Anglers will find a high number of Northern Pike in Eagle Lake, however, most of these fish will be on the small side. The catch rate of Northern Pike in the 2023 survey was the highest ever observed for Eagle Lake. The average size of the pike captured was 20 inches, but one 36-inch pike was measured. Walleye numbers were average for the lake and the size was good. Almost 98% of the Walleye captured in 2023 were over 15 inches and 59% were over 20 inches. Bluegill numbers were down for the lake and most of the fish were small. Only one percent of the Bluegills caught in trap nets were over eight inches. The longest Bluegill measured in 2023 was 8.5 inches. Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass were captured in low numbers in the nets, which is often the case with this sampling gear. Black Crappie up to 13 inches were measured and Largemouth Bass up to 17 inches were captured. Other fish species observed were Black, Brown, and Yellow Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Perch.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Eagle Lake was conducted on August 30, 2022 by Detroit Lakes Area Fisheries Staff. Data collected during this nearshore survey were combined with trap net and gill net data to calculate a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score for the lake. The FIBI Tool-4 was used for scoring and resulted in a FIBI score of 34. The previous score for Eagle Lake was 33 in July 2017. The impairment threshold score is 38, suggesting that the fish population in Eagle Lake does not meet expectations for lakes of similar characteristics, and the fish community of Eagle Lake is affected by disturbances within the watershed or along the shoreline of Eagle Lake. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Otter Tail River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website.

Eagle Lake is a 312-acre, class 31 lake located two miles west of Frazee. The city of Frazee owns the park and public access on the southeast shore of the lake. The south and west shores are heavily developed while the north and east shores are lightly developed, although there is a RV campground on the north shore. There were 43 private homes or cottages and one resort with nine cabins in 2004. The lake mesotrophic with a Carlson's trophic state index in the upper forties. Prior to 2014, Eagle Lake was stocked annually with Walleye fry. Beginning in 2014, Walleye fingerlings have been stocked in even years. The gill net catch rate of Walleyes in 2017 increased slightly to 3.5 fish per net. Sampled Walleyes averaged 18.1 inches in length and ranged from 13.5 to 24.1 inches. The 2014 year class comprised half of the sample. If future stockings continue to be successful, the relative abundance of Walleye in Eagle Lake should continue to improve. Catch rates of Northern Pike remained higher than the lake's historical mean at 10.3 fish per net. The lake's historical mean catch rate is 6.8 fish per net. Northern Pike were stocked frequently in this lake during the 1960's and 1970's when catch rates were low, but none have been stocked since 1982. Northern Pike sampled in 2017 ranged from 13.7 to 30.1 inches in length with a mean of 20.8 inches. The trap net catch rate of Bluegills set a new historical low of 5.5 fish per net. The historical mean catch rate for Eagle Lake is 48.4 Bluegills per trap net. Sampled Bluegill lengths ranged from 2.8 to 7.0 inches with a mean of 4.42 inches. Only five Black Crappie were captured in trap nets and gill nets combined in 2017, however catches have historically been very low. Largemouth Bass catch rates have also been very low. Black Bullheads have not been caught in test nets since 1983. Brown Bullheads are present in small numbers and Yellow Bullheads are abundant. Minnesota DNR Fisheries IBI program staff conducted an assessment of lakeshore habitat on Eagle Lake on 07/25/2017, following the Score the Shore survey protocols. The assessment consisted of 30 survey sites evenly spaced 200 meters around the lake. Assessments were made in three habitat zones: Shoreline Zone(the shore-water interface to the top of the natural bank), Shoreland Zone (land-ward from shoreline to development structure or 100ft), and Aquatic Zone (lake-ward 50ft of shoreline). The average lakewide habitat score was 83.3 (+/- 3.3) out of 100 possible. Approximately 46 percent of the sites were developed with a mean score of 75.8 (+/- 6.4), while undeveloped sites had a mean score of 89.9 (+/- 1.6). The Score the Shore survey was designed to provide a means to quantify and compare lakeshore habitat between lakes. The Eagle Lake shoreline habitat score was higher than the statewide lake score average of 73.6.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, and Northern Pike in Eagle. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Eagle. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Eagle has a maximum depth of 29 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Eagle is from 2023.

Yes — Eagle has confirmed zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.