Eagle

Eagle Lake is an 845-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in south-central Otter Tail County approximately eight miles south of Battle Lake, MN. Eagle Lake is located within the Pomme de Terre River Watershed; however, there are no inlets or outlets connected to the lake. The immediate watershed is composed of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The secchi disk reading during the 2024 survey was 25.6 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 14.8 to 25.2 feet. The majority of the shoreline has been extensively developed. Homes and cabins surround the entire shoreline of the lake. A township owned concrete public access is located in a park along the south shoreline. A public swimming beach is also located in the park. The shoal water substrates consist of sand and gravel. There is no emergent aquatic vegetation present in Eagle Lake. A special gillnetting survey was conducted to analyze the Walleye and Northern Pike populations. Walleye abundance has consistently remained at a high level. Walleyes ranged in length from 8.4 to 22.4 inches with an average length and weight of 13.8 inches and 1.0 pounds. Walleyes in Eagle Lake attain an average length of 14.1 inches at four years of age. Northern Pike abundance has consistently remained at a very low level. Northern Pike natural reproduction is extremely limited due to the lack of suitable spawning habitat. Pike ranged in length from 15.1 to 33.1 inches with an average length and weight of 24.5 inches and 3.2 pounds. Northern Pike attain an average length of 25.9 inches at age V. 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 the 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 opportunities to catch more large fish in the future. Eagle Lake was designated as infested with zebra mussels in 2019. Aquatic invasive species are threatening Minnesota waters. Aquatic invasive species can potentially harm water quality, water recreation, aquatic habitat, native species, and fish populations. Anglers can help prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species by following watercraft transportation laws.

Eagle Lake is an 845-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in south-central Otter Tail County approximately eight miles south of Battle Lake, MN. Eagle Lake is located within the Pomme de Terre River Watershed; however, there are no inlets or outlets connected to the lake. The immediate watershed is composed of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The secchi disk reading during the 2019 survey was 22.1 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 14.8 to 25.2 feet. The majority of the shoreline has been extensively developed. Homes and cabins surround the entire shoreline of the lake. A township owned concrete public access is located in a park along the south shoreline. A public swimming beach is also located in the park. The shoal water substrates consist of sand and gravel. There is no emergent aquatic vegetation present in Eagle Lake. A special gillnetting survey was conducted to analyze the Walleye and Northern Pike populations. Walleye abundance has consistently remained at a high level. Walleyes ranged in length from 8.2 to 20.0 inches with an average length and weight of 13.6 inches and 0.9 pounds. Walleyes exhibit fast growth with an average length of 15.3 inches at four years of age. Northern Pike abundance has consistently remained at a very low level. Northern Pike natural reproduction is extremely limited due to the lack of emergent aquatic vegetation. Pike ranged in length from 14.8 to 28.4 inches. 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 the 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 opportunities to catch more large fish in the future. Eagle Lake was designated as infested with zebra mussels in 2019. Aquatic invasive species are threatening Minnesota waters. Aquatic invasive species can potentially harm water quality, water recreation, aquatic habitat, native species, and fish populations. Anglers can help prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species by following watercraft transportation laws.

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community in Eagle Lake was conducted by Fisheries Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff starting July 18, 2018. Fourteen sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 15-foot or 50-foot seine, where possible, as part of the nearshore survey. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 14 sites. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample all 14 sites. Nearshore sampling captured 16 native species of fish including five species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Mimic Shiner and Rock Bass) and two species that are tolerant of disturbance (Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). Data from this targeted summer trap net and nearshore survey is combined with gill net data from a July 2014 standard survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. 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. The FIBI score for Eagle Lake from this survey is above an impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Pomme de Terre River Watershed assessment of surface waters process completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Rock Bass, Black Crappie, Northern Pike, and Hybrid Sunfish 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 46 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Eagle is from 2024.

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