Barrett

Barrett Lake is a 530-acre impoundment of the Pomme de Terre River. The earliest available records of dam construction date back to 1936. The City of Barrett developed along the west and south shorelines. Maximum depth of the lake is 28.0 feet. Average depth is estimated at 8.5 feet. Water quality measurements describe Barrett Lake as eutrophic. The Pomme de Terre River carries sediments and nutrients from an expansive, well drained, and largely cultivated watershed area extending well north into Otter Tail County. Algae blooms and suspended sediments impair water clarity during summer months. Water transparency at the time of the late-July fish survey measured 3.0 feet. Poor water clarity limits diversity and distribution of submergent plants. Primary management efforts on Barrett Lake are directed towards Walleye. Natural reproduction sustains this fishery but Walleye fry are stocked every other year to supplement the population. A fisheries survey was completed on Barrett Lake, July 31 through August 3, 2023. A combination of six gill nets and eight trap nets were used to sample the fish community. Netting was preceded by electrofishing on May 31 to gain estimates of Largemouth Bass abundance and population size structure. Walleye catch rates (24.5 fish/gill net) were high during the 2023 survey. Lengths of those Walleye ranged from 9.8-28.3 inches but averaged only 13.8 inches. Most of the Walleye in the system at the time of the survey were younger fish. Survival of young Walleye has been above average recently and multiple year classes were present from stocked and non-stocked years. Walleye fry are stocked in odd-numbered years to supplement natural reproduction, but in the last several surveys, it appears naturally produced fish may make up a majority of this population. Walleye grow fast in Barrett Lake, reaching 15 inches around age 3, so the small fish will quickly grow to harvestable sizes. Walleye fishing is expected to be very good for at least the next several years. Northern Pike abundance was moderate for Barrett Lake. Average size was 22.2 inches and the largest pike observed was 31.3 inches. Barrett Lake also supports both Black and White Crappie. Black Crappie are more common than White Crappie. Many of the Black Crappie caught in this survey were large, average length was 10.1 inches and the largest crappie was 13.4 inches. Bluegill catch rates were low, but some large fish over 9 inches were sampled. Spring electrofishing efforts caught only a few Largemouth Bass. Low water made electrofishing difficult and habitat conditions are less than ideal for bass. Only 10 Largemouth Bass were observed. Yellow Perch abundance was also low for Barrett Lake. Perch occasionally get large enough to keep, but the few observed in this survey averaged 6.7 inches. Abundance of most underutilized species declined from the previous survey. Abundance of Black Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp, and White Sucker was lower than previous surveys. Freshwater Drum is one species that has been increasing. First recorded in the 2017 survey, they are now increasing in abundance. Freshwater Drum are native to the Pomme de Terre River system, but have only recently been recorded in lakes above Crissy Dam in Morris, MN. They are thought to have expanded above Crissy Dam in 2012 during flood conditions. Barrett Lake was designated as an infested water after the discovery of zebra mussels in 2018. Recreational users should take necessary precautions to prevent the further spread of invasive species. Drain all water and remove all aquatic vegetation from your boat and trailer when leaving any body of water.

This nearshore survey was conducted during summer 2023 to assess populations of non-game species and small game fish using backpack electrofishing and seining. Backpack electrofishing and/or seining were conducted at 14 stations, representing a variety of habitat types, along the shoreline of Barrett Lake. The survey was conducted during the five-year sampling window for intensive monitoring efforts within the Pomme de Terre River watershed, and will be contributing to a watershed assessment process in coordination with Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Twenty-one species were collected during this survey. Three species (Banded Killifish, Iowa Darter, and Logperch) were considered "intolerant" and three species (Black Bullhead, Common Carp, and Fathead Minnow) were considered "tolerant" based on current tolerance classifications for Minnesota lakes. Nearshore catch data will be used along with gill and trap net catch data to develop an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) score, which is indicative of the health of Barrett Lake.

Barrett Lake is a 530-acre impoundment of the Pomme de Terre River. The earliest available records of dam construction date back to 1936. The City of Barrett developed along west and south shorelines. Maximum depth of the lake is 28.0 feet. Average depth is estimated at 8.5 feet. Water quality measurements describe Barrett Lake as eutrophic. The Pomme de Terre River carries sediments and nutrients from an expansive, well drained, and largely cultivated watershed area extending well north into Otter Tail County. Algae blooms and suspended sediments impair water clarity during summer months. Water transparency at time of the late-July fish survey measured 4.0 feet. Poor water clarity limits diversity and distribution of submergent plants. A standard fish survey was completed in 2017 to gain updated estimates of abundance and size structure of gamefish populations. Survey protocol included an electrofishing survey completed on May 24 to sample Largemouth Bass. A netting survey utilizing trap nets and gill nets was conducted July 31 through August 3 to assess other gamefish populations. Walleyes are well adapted to existing habitat conditions and are moderately abundant, particularly when compared to similar lakes. Gill net catches did decrease from the exceptionally high catch rate that occurred in 2011, but through the contributions of natural reproduction and fry stockings during odd-numbered years, the gill net catches averaged 8.3 Walleyes/net and the catch was made up of 10 age classes (ages 2-12). Size of captures ranged from 12.4 to 28.4 inches. Average length at capture was 18.2 inches. Nearly half of the Walleye catch was made up of three-year-old fish. These young fish were growing fast and averaged 16.0 inches when captured in late-July. The Northern Pike population has expanded. The gill net catch rate of 10.3 pike/net was the highest catch rate recorded among surveys. Pike catches averaged 24.1 inches in length. The population can offer fair to good quality fishing experiences. Nine captures exceeded 28.0 inches in length. The largest measured was 31.5 inches. Fish exceeding 34.0 inches have been captured during prior surveys. Barrett Lake supports both Black Crappie and White Crappie populations. Black Crappies are more abundant than White Crappies. Some hybridization is also likely. A modest increase in Black Crappie catches occurred in 2017 with enhanced success of spawning and survival of young crappies in 2014 and 2015. Five age groups were represented in the Black Crappie catch. Two- and three-year-old fish made up 80% of the fish that were aged. Mean length of Black Crappie captures in trap nets was 8.3 inches. Fishing quality will improve as these young fish grow to exceed 10.0 inches. Many of the three-year-olds, cohorts of the 2014 year class, should approach 10.0 inches early in 2018. The largest crappie capture was a White Crappie measuring 12.4 inches. Largemouth Bass and Bluegill population densities have been modest and variable in response to habitat limitations such as water level fluctuations during the spring spawning season, seasonally poor water clarity, and limited distribution and diversity of aquatic plants. Largemouth Bass catches during the spring electrofishing survey were greater than anticipated due to the addition of many two- and three-year-olds to the population. These young fish made up over 80% of total bass captures. The largest bass capture measured 14.3 inches. With the high proportion of young fish and few older, larger fish in the population sample, average size of bass captures was 7.4 inches. Bluegill catches also increased due to enhanced reproductive success and survival of young fish in 2014 and 2015. Age distribution of Bluegill captures only extended to age 5. Similar to Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass catches, the majority of Bluegill captures were three-years-old or younger. Yellow Perch are abundant, yet few grow large enough to harvest. This population is important prey supporting Walleye and Northern Pike abundance and growth. Black Bullheads are abundant and many are large enough to support harvest. The largest bullhead capture measured 14.9 inches. Other underutilized or unique fishes captured included Bigmouth Buffalo, Longnose Gar, Shorthead Redhorse, White Sucker, and Common Carp.

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

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

Barrett has a maximum depth of 28 feet and a mean depth of 8.5 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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