Johnson

Johnson Lake is a 338-acre eutrophic (fertile) lake located in south-central Otter Tail County approximately two miles east of Dalton, MN. Johnson Lake is part of the Pomme de Terre River Watershed. There is an inlet from a wetland along the north shoreline but there is no outlet. Land use in the immediate watershed is primarily agricultural. The maximum depth of Johnson Lake is 32 feet; however, 49% of the lake is less than 15 feet in depth. Historical secchi disk readings have ranged from 3.5 to 9.6 feet. Periodic plankton-algae blooms throughout the summer months can decrease water clarity in this lake. The majority of the shoreline on Johnson Lake remains undeveloped. The shoreline is primarily composed of agricultural and marsh land. Several cabins are located along the northeast shoreline. A public water access is also located along the northeast shoreline off of County Road 12. Large stands of hardstem bulrush are scattered along various shorelines of the lake and on several midlake sunken islands. Common cattail is also prevalent in several bays and along several areas of shoreline. 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, 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 an important nursery area for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. Data from a spring electrofishing survey indicate that a moderately abundant Largemouth Bass population with a good size structure exists. Age indicate that Largemouth Bass reproduction is consistently good. Bass ranged in length from 4.6 to 19.5 inches with an average length and weight of 11.7 inches and 1.4 pounds. Largemouth Bass attain an average length of 14.8 inches at four 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 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. Johnson Lake is not listed as an infested water. 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 Johnson Lake was conducted by Fisheries Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff starting July 29, 2018. Ten 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. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all ten sites with two sites sampled from the boat. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample three sites, a 15-foot seine was used at four sites, and soft sediments, abundant vegetation, or deep water prevented the use of seines at three sampling sites. Nearshore sampling captured 12 native species of fish including two species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish and Iowa Darter) and two species that are tolerant of disturbance (Black Bullhead and Fathead Minnow). Data from this targeted nearshore survey is combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 2015 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 Johnson Lake from this survey is near 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.

Johnson Lake is a 338-acre eutrophic (fertile) lake located in south-central Otter Tail County approximately two miles east of Dalton, MN. Johnson Lake is part of the Pomme de Terre River Watershed. There is an inlet from a wetland along the north shoreline but there is no outlet. Land use in the immediate watershed is primarily agricultural. The maximum depth of Johnson Lake is 32 feet; however, 49% of the lake is less than 15 feet in depth. Benchmark information indicated that the lake water level is presently higher than normal. The secchi disk reading was 9.0 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 3.5 to 9.6 feet. Periodic plankton-algae blooms throughout the summer months can decrease water clarity in this lake. The majority of the shoreline on Johnson Lake remains undeveloped. The shoreline is primarily composed of agricultural and marsh land. Several cabins are located along the northeast shoreline. A public water access is also located along the northeast shoreline off of County Road 12. Large stands of hardstem bulrush are scattered along various shorelines of the lake and on several midlake sunken islands. Common cattail is also prevalent in several bays and along several areas of shoreline. 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, 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 an important nursery area for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. Johnson 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 gamefish species in Johnson Lake. Walleyes ranged in length from 14.8 to 25.8 inches with an average length and weight of 21.2 inches and 3.7 pounds. Walleyes exhibit fast growth with an average length of 15.6 inches at three years of age. Northern Pike abundance has remained stable in recent surveys. Age data indicate that Northern Pike reproduction is consistently good. Northern Pike ranged in length from 20.4 to 32.8 inches with an average length and weight of 24.7 inches and 3.3 pounds. Pike also exhibit fast growth with an average length of 24.5 inches at four years of age. Data from a spring electrofishing assessment indicate that an abundant Largemouth Bass population with a good size structure exists. Bass ranged in length from 9.0 to 19.9 inches with an average length and weight of 15.9 inches and 2.4 pounds. Bass attain an average length of 14.5 inches at four years of age. The long-term trend has been a decline in Bluegill abundance. Fourteen percent of the Bluegills were 7.0 inches or greater in length. Bluegill growth is fast with an average length of 6.5 inches at four 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 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 Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Green Sunfish, Walleye, and Black Crappie in Johnson. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Johnson has a maximum depth of 32 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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