Devils

Devils Lake is a 314-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in northeastern Otter Tail County approximately four miles northwest of Perham, MN. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. There are no navigable inlets or outlets. The maximum depth is 67 feet; however, 67% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2013 lake survey was 16.5 feet. Previous secchi disk readings ranged from 9.0 to 15.0 feet. The south, east, and west shorelines of Devils Lake have been developed. Homes and cottages compose the majority of the development. One resort and a DNR owned public access are located along the east shoreline. The shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Areas of emergent aquatic vegetation are non-existent. Devils Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Black Crappie, and Bluegill are the dominant gamefish species in Devils Lake. Northern Pike abundance was within the normal range for this type of lake. Northern Pike ranged in length from 13.9 to 34.0 inches with a mean length and weight of 17.8 inches and 1.2 pounds. Northern Pike growth is slow with an average length of 24.5 inches at six years of age. Slow growth may be related to the low abundance of Yellow Perch, which is a preferred forage of Northern Pike. Summer test-net indices are not reliable indicators of Largemouth Bass abundance or size structure; however, angler reports on this specie have been positive. Walleye abundance has remained stable in recent surveys. Age data indicate that Walleye reproduction is very limited. Walleyes ranged in length from 10.8 to 19.5 inches with a mean length and weight of 16.3 inches and 1.5 pounds. Walleyes attain an average length of 14.9 inches at four years of age. The 2007 and 2008 year classes of Black Crappie are strong and should provide consistently good angling for several years. Crappies attain an average length of 9.8 inches at five years of age. Bluegill abundance was within the normal range; however, the recent trend has been a decline in abundance. The decline in abundance corresponds with an increase in size structure. Seventy- five percent of the Bluegills were 7.0 inches or greater in length. Bluegills attain an average length of 7.5 inches at five years of age. Anglers can maintain the quality of fishing by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium to large-size fish while allowing the harvest of more abundant smaller fish for table fare. Releasing the medium to large fish will ensure that the lake will have enough spawning age fish on an annual basis and will provide anglers with more opportunities to catch large fish in the future.

Devils Lake is a 314-acre mesotrophic lake located in northeastern Otter Tail County approximately four miles northwest of Perham, MN. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. There are no navigable inlets or outlets. The maximum depth is 67 feet; however, 67% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2007 lake survey was 9.0 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 10.0 to 15.0 feet. The south, east, and west shorelines of Devils Lake have been developed. Homes and cottages compose the majority of the development. One resort and a DNR owned public access are located along the east shoreline. The shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Areas of emergent aquatic vegetation are rare. Devils Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Northern pike, largemouth bass, walleye and bluegill are the dominant gamefish species in Devils Lake. The northern pike test-net catch rate indicates that they are abundant. Age data indicate that northern pike reproduction is consistently good. Northern pike ranged in length from 16.2 to 37.4 inches with a mean length and weight of 21.7 inches and 2.4 pounds. Northern pike growth is slow with an average length of 22.1 inches at age-VI. Slow growth may be related to the low abundance of yellow perch which is a preferred forage of northern pike. Summer test-net indices are not reliable indicators of largemouth bass abundance or size structure; however, angler reports on this species have been positive. Bass sampled during this survey ranged in length from 6.8 to 12.2 inches. The walleye test-net catch rate has remained stable in recent surveys. Age data indicate that walleye reproduction is very limited. The DNR stocks walleye fingerlings on a triennial basis to maintain the population. Walleyes ranged in length from 7.0 to 24.8 inches with an average length and weight of 21.7 inches and 3.6 pounds. Walleyes attain an average length of 13.2 inches at four years of age. The bluegill test-net catch rate indicates that they are also abundant; however, the recent trend has been a decline in abundance. The decline in abundance corresponds with an increase in size structure. Thirty-one percent of the bluegills were 7.0 inches or greater in length. Age data indicate that bluegill reproduction is consistently good. Bluegills attain an average length of 6.3 inches at six years of age. Anglers can maintain the quality of fishing by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium to large-size fish while allowing the harvest of more abundant smaller fish for table fare. Releasing the medium to large fish will ensure that the lake will have enough spawning age fish on an annual basis and will provide anglers with more opportunities to catch large fish in the future.

Devils Lake is a 314-acre mesotrophic lake located in northeastern Otter Tail County approximately four miles northwest of Perham, MN. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. There are no navigable inlets or outlets. The maximum depth is 67 feet; however, 67% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2001 lake survey was 13.2 feet which indicates excellent water clarity. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 10.0 to 15.0 feet. Devils Lake is included in lake class 31 of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) lake classification scheme. The south, east, and west shorelines of Devils Lake have been developed. Homes and cottages compose the majority of the development. One resort and a DNR public water access are located along the eastern shoreline. The shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Areas of emergent aquatic vegetation are rare. Devils Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Northern pike, largemouth bass, walleye, and bluegill are the dominant fish species in Devils Lake. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the abundance of suitable spawning habitat that is available and DNR stocking efforts. The northern pike test-net catch rate was within the normal range for class 31 lakes. Age data indicate that northern pike reproduction is consistently good. Northern pike ranged in length from 13.6 to 37.6 inches with an average length and weight of 19.8 inches and 1.9 pounds. Pike attain an average length of 21.8 inches at five years of age. Summer test-net indices are not reliable indicators of largemouth bass abundance or size structure; however, angler reports on this specie have been positive. Bass sampled during the survey ranged in length from 7.4 to 18.9 inches. The walleye test-net catch rate was within the normal range for class 31 lakes. The DNR stocks walleye fingerlings on a triennial basis. Age data indicate that walleye natural reproduction is very limited. Walleye ranged in length from 12.4 to 21.6 inches with an average length and weight of 16.1 inches and 1.5 pounds. Walleye attain an average length of 14.2 inches at four years of age. The bluegill test-net catch rate was lower than in the recent series of lake surveys but still exceeded the upper limit of the normal range for class 31 lakes. The 1995 year class is strong and should provide good bluegill angling for several years. Nine percent of the bluegills were at least 7.0 inches in length. Bluegill attain an average length of 6.7 inches at seven years of age. Anglers can also maintain the quality of fishing by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium to large-size fish while allowing the harvest of more abundant smaller fish for table fare. Releasing the medium to large fish will ensure that the lake will have enough spawning age fish on an annual basis and will provide anglers with more opportunities to catch large fish in the future.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Walleye, Pumpkinseed, and Largemouth Bass in Devils. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Devils has a maximum depth of 67 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Devils is from 2013. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

No invasive species are on record for Devils in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.