Twin

East Twin Lake is a 333-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County approximately 1.5 miles west of Amor, MN. There are no navigable inlets or outlets connected to East Twin Lake. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. East Twin Lake has a maximum depth of 50 feet; however, 57% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Historical secchi disk readings have ranged from 6.5 to 16.0 feet. A majority of the shoreline of East Twin Lake remains undeveloped. The development that does exist is concentrated along the northeast shoreline and consists of homes/cabins and a resort. A DNR owned concrete public water access is also located along the northeast shoreline. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Hardstem bulrush and common cattail are prevalent along various shoreline areas of the lake. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush and cattail provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat, and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms from erosion, and can absorb and break down polluting chemicals. Emergent plants provide spawning areas for fish such as Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and panfish. They also serve as important nursery areas for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. To maintain the excellent water quality and angling that this lake has to offer, it is imperative to preserve the quality of the aquatic habitat. A spring electrofishing survey was conducted to analyze the Largemouth Bass population. Survey data indicate that Largemouth Bass abundance, growth, and reproduction occur at moderate levels. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 2.5 to 19.6 inches. Largemouth Bass attain an average length of 13.5 inches at five years of age. There are no special or experimental fish harvest regulations in effect for East Twin Lake. Anglers can maintain the quality of fishing by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium to large 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. East Twin Lake is not listed as an invasive species infested water body. 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.

East Twin Lake is a 333-acre moderately fertile lake located in central Otter Tail County approximately 1.5 miles west of Amor, MN. There are no inlets or outlets connected to East Twin Lake. The immediate watershed is composed of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 50 feet; however, 57% of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. The secchi disk reading during the 2004 lake survey was 16.3 feet which indicates excellent water clarity. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 6.5 to 16.0 feet. Periodic plankton/algae blooms throughout the summer can influence secchi disk readings. East Twin Lake is included in lake class 31 of the Minnesota DNR lake classification scheme. The majority of the shoreline of East Twin Lake is undeveloped. The development that does exist is located along the northeast shoreline. Fourteen homes/cabins and one resort were recorded during the 2000 lake survey. A DNR owned concrete public water access is also located along the northeast shoreline. The shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Hardstem bulrush stands are scattered along various shorelines of the lake. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat, and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms, and can actually absorb and break down polluting chemicals. Emergent plants provide spawning areas for fish such as northern pike, largemouth bass, and panfish. They also serve as important nursery areas for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. To maintain the excellent water quality and angling that this lake has to offer, it is imperative to preserve the quality of the aquatic habitat. East Twin 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, walleye, largemouth bass, and bluegill are the dominant species in the fish community. The northern pike test-net catch rate was within the normal range for lake class 31 lakes. The long-term trend has been an increase in the pike catch rate. Pike ranged in length from 15.3 to 34.3 inches with an average length and weight of 22.5 inches and 2.6 pounds. Thirty-three percent of the pike were at least 24.0 inches in length. Northern pike exhibit fast growth with an average length of 23.8 inches at four years of age. The walleye test-net catch rate was within the normal range for lake class 31 lakes. Walleye ranged in length from 15.5 to 28.3 inches with an average length and weight of 19.0 inches and 2.9 pounds. Age data from recent lake surveys indicate that walleye stocking is maintaining the walleye population by supplementing limited natural reproduction. The strongest year classes have consistently corresponded to years of walleye stocking. Walleye also exhibit fast growth with an average length of 16.0 inches at four years of age. Data from recent assessments indicate that bluegill are very abundant and that the average size tends to be small. Bluegill growth is also slow; bluegill attain an average length of 6.4 inches at six years of age. Anglers can maintain or improve the quality of angling 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.

Northern pike were not sampled in this survey, while in the 1982 survey abundance was measured at 4.2 per gill net lift with an average weight of 4.1 lbs. Northern pike have not been stocked in this lake since 1980 and it is apparent that reproduction is poor. Bluegill abundance, as measured by fish per trap net lift, declined substantially from approximately 170 in 1974 and 1982 to 69 per net. Largemouth bass abundance was 6.7 per trap net lift, which is 6 times the area median. Age data for largemouth bass indicates good reproduction as fish ages I+ and II+ were well represented in the sample. Yellow perch abundance also declined from approximately 13 per gill net lift in 1974 and 1982 to 3.3 per net despite stocking in 1983, 1984 and 1985. Walleye abundance remained similar to previous surveys at 4.0 per gillnet lift, while the average weight has increased from 1.8 to 2.3 pounds.

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

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

Twin has a maximum depth of 50 feet and a mean depth of 15 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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