German

German Lake is a 71-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County approximately one mile south of Underwood, MN. German Lake is the headwaters of the Pomme De Terre River. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of marshland. German Lake has a maximum depth of 46.0 feet; however, 35% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Secchi disk readings have ranged from 9.5 to 18.0 feet. The majority of the shoreline of German Lake is undeveloped. A state owned earthen public access is located along the southwest shoreline of the lake. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and silt. Stands of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are scattered along the entire lakeshore. Emergent aquatic plants such as wild rice and bulrush provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms and 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. German Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Bluegill and Largemouth Bass are two of the dominant gamefish species. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the abundance of suitable spawning habitat that exists. A spring trap netting survey was conducted in 2025 to collect data on the Bluegill population. This was the fifth survey completed targeting Bluegill on German Lake. A moderate density Bluegill population exists in German Lake, and age data indicates that Bluegill recruitment success can be inconsistent. This has been reflected through fluctuations in size structure in past surveys. Fish sampled ranged in size from 2.9 to 10.2 inches in length, with 58% of the Bluegills measuring 7.0 inches or greater. Bluegills attain an average length of 8.1 inches at seven 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. German Lake is not listed as an infested water. Aquatic invasive species are threatening Minnesota waters. The non-native 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. Anglers are required to remove all visible plants, mud, and other prohibited invasive species and drain all water from their boat prior to leaving the water access.

German Lake is a 71-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County approximately one mile south of Underwood, MN. German Lake is the headwaters of the Pomme De Terre River. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of marshland. German Lake has a maximum depth of 46.0 feet; however, 35% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Secchi disk readings have ranged from 9.5 to 18.0 feet. The majority of the shoreline of German Lake is undeveloped. A state owned earthen public access is located along the southwest shoreline of the lake. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and silt. Stands of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are scattered along the entire lakeshore. Emergent aquatic plants such as wild rice and 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. German Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Bluegill and Largemouth Bass are two of the dominant gamefish species. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the abundance of suitable spawning habitat that exists. Special spring assessments were conducted to analyze these populations. A moderate density Bluegill population exists. Age data indicate that Bluegill reproduction is consistently good. Size structure is excellent; eighty six percent of the Bluegills were 7.0 inches or greater in length. Bluegills attain a mean length of 7.5 inches at six years of age. Data collected from a spring electrofishing assessment indicate that a high-density, slow growing Largemouth Bass population exists. Age data suggest that Largemouth Bass reproduction is consistently good. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 3.6 to 20.6 inches with an average length and weight of 10.5 inches and 0.9 pounds. Bass attain an average length of 12.9 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. German Lake is not listed as an infested water. Aquatic invasive species are threatening Minnesota waters. The non-native 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. Anglers are required to remove all visible plants, mud, and other prohibited invasive species and drain all water from their boat prior to leaving the water access.

German Lake is a 71-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County approximately one mile south of Underwood, MN. German Lake is the headwaters of the Pomme De Terre River. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of marshland. German Lake has a maximum depth of 46.0 feet; however, 35% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2010 survey was 11.1 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 9.5 to 18.0 feet. The majority of the shoreline of German Lake is undeveloped. A state owned earthen public access is located along the southwest shoreline of the lake. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and silt. Stands of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are scattered along the entire lakeshore. Emergent aquatic plants such as wild rice and 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. German 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, and bluegill are the dominant gamefish species in the fish community of German Lake. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the abundance of suitable spawning habitat that is available. A high-density, slow growing northern pike population exists. Age data indicate that pike reproduction is consistently good. Pike ranged in length from 15.0 to 27.3 inches with an average length and weight of 19.6 inches and 1.7 pounds. Pike attain an average length of 20.4 inches at five years of age. Data collected from a spring electrofishing assessment indicate that a high-density, slow growing largemouth bass population also exists. Age data suggest that largemouth bass reproduction is consistently good. Largemouth bass ranged in length from 5.1 to 16.0 inches with an average length and weight of 9.7 inches and 0.7 pounds. Bass attain an average length of 12.8 inches at five years of age. The bluegill population is moderately abundant. Size structure is good with 27% of the bluegills in the trap net sample measuring 7.0 inches or greater in length. Bluegills attain an average length of 7.3 inches at eight 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.

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

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

German has a maximum depth of 46 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in German is from 2017. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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