Potato

Potato Lake (DOW # 29-0243-00) is located seven miles north of Park Rapids in Hubbard County. Potato Lake has a surface area of 2,096 acres and a maximum depth of 87 feet. There is a state-owned public access located on the north shore and a county-owned access located on the west "arm" of the lake. Boating access with small craft is also available from the inlet river connecting to Eagle Lake. There is a fixed crest dam at the outlet that prevents boat travel downstream but allows for fish passage. Potato Lake is a very popular fishing lake in the Park Rapids area known for its Walleye population, but also provides angling opportunities for Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass and Panfish. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Potato Lake is in Lake Class 22. Lake Class 22 lakes generally are deep, with hard water and small littoral zones (lake area less than 15 feet in depth). Other Lake Class 22 lakes in the Park Rapids management area include: Big Sand, Kabekona, Long and Lower Bottle. Walleye abundance was down from the previous survey and below the current management goal. Walleye abundance has been below management goal 3 of the past 4 surveys, but gill net catch rates have fluctuated within the range for similar type lakes. Sampled Walleyes had an average length of 17.1 inches, with fish measured up to 24.9 inches. Abundance of Yellow Perch, an important forage species for Walleye, was up from recent surveys and near the current management goal. Yellow Perch are small in size and generally not a size anglers typically prefer to keep, but a few fish up to 10 inches were measured. Northern Pike abundance captured in the most recent survey matched the highest recorded of the fifteen surveys dating back to 1950. Northern Pike numbers have been high since the 2013 survey, while abundance in earlier surveys fluctuated at moderate levels for this Lake Class. Sampled Northern Pike had an average length and weight of 21.1 inches and 2.21 pounds, with fish measured up to 35.4 inches. Both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass were found in moderate abundance. While the average size of Largemouth was smaller, both species included fish sampled up to 19 inches. Bluegill abundance was up from recent surveys with about half of the fish sampled in the 6-to-8-inch range, with fish measured up to 9 inches. Currently zebra mussels are the only aquatic invasive species (AIS) that has been identified in Potato Lake. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access.

Potato Lake is located seven miles north of Park Rapids in Hubbard County. Potato has a surface area of 2,096 acres and a maximum depth of 87 feet. A state-owned public access is located on the north shore and a county-owned access is located on the west "arm" of the lake. Boating access with small craft is also available from the inlet river connecting to Eagle Lake. There is a fixed crest dam at the outlet that prevents boat travel downstream. The fixed crest dam was installed in 2004 and the design allows for fish passage. Potato Lake is a very popular fishing lake in the Park Rapids area. Potato Lake is known for its Walleye population, but also provides angling opportunities for Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, and Panfish. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Potato Lake is in lake class 22. Class 22 lakes have the characteristics of being deep, having hard water, and small littoral zone (lake area less than 15 feet in depth). Other area lakes in this same classification include Big Sand, Kabekona, Long, and Lower Bottle. A targeted survey was conducted on Potato Lake during the summer of 2022 to gain information primarily on the Walleye and Yellow Perch populations. Gill nets, fall electrofishing, and fine mesh gill nets were the only sampling equipment used. Walleye abundance was similar to the previous survey in 2016 and 2019. Good numbers of Walleye in the 14-18 inch size range were sampled, with fish measured up to 27.2 inches. Abundance of Yellow Perch, an important forage species for Walleye, was similar to recent surveys. Yellow Perch are small in size and generally not an acceptable size for angling. Currently no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Potato Lake. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access.

Potato Lake is located seven miles north of Park Rapids in Hubbard County. Potato has a surface area of 2,096 acres and a maximum depth of 87 feet. A state-owned public access is located on the north shore and a county-owned access is located on the west "arm" of the lake. Boating access with small craft is also available from the inlet river connecting to Eagle Lake. There is a fixed crest dam at the outlet that prevents boat travel downstream. The fixed crest dam was installed in 2004 and the design allows for fish passage. Potato Lake is a very popular fishing lake in the Park Rapids area. Potato Lake is known for its Walleye population, but also provides angling opportunities for Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, and Panfish. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Potato Lake is in lake class 22. Class 22 lakes have the characteristics of being deep, having hard water, and small littoral zone (lake area less than 15 feet in depth). Other area lakes in this same classification include Big Sand, Kabekona, Long, and Lower Bottle. A targeted survey was conducted on Potato Lake during the summer of 2019 to gain information primarily about the Walleye, Yellow Perch, and Northern Pike populations. Gill nets were the only sampling equipment used. Walleye abundance was similar to the previous survey in 2016, but down somewhat from previous surveys and below the current management goal. Walleye abundance since the early 1980's has been steady, with gill net catch rates fluctuating within the range for similar type lakes and around the management goal. Good numbers of Walleye in the 14-18 inch size range were sampled, with fish measured up to 25.9 inches. Abundance of Yellow Perch, an important forage species for Walleye, was up from recent surveys and near the current management goal. Yellow Perch are small in size and generally not an acceptable size for angling. Northern Pike abundance was the highest recorded for thirteen surveys dating back to 1950. Northern Pike numbers have been high since the 2013 survey, while abundance in earlier surveys fluctuated at moderate levels for this lake class. Sampled Northern Pike had an average length and weight of 21.4 inches and 2.3 pounds, with fish measured up to 38.2 inches. Currently no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Potato Lake. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Rock Bass, and Walleye in Potato. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Potato has a maximum depth of 87 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Potato is from 2025.

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