Pleasant

Pleasant Lake is a 370-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County five miles north of Underwood, MN. Pleasant Lake is connected to Little Pleasant Lake via an unnavigable culvert under a township road along the north shoreline. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. Pleasant Lake has a maximum depth of 38 feet; however, 64% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Historical secchi disk readings have ranged from 6.0 to 17.0 feet. A majority of the shoreline of Pleasant Lake remains undeveloped. A DNR owned concrete public water access is located along the northeast shoreline. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel with muck being the predominant substrate in the south bay. Hardstem bulrush and common cattail are prevalent along the entire shoreline 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. Catch data indicate that Largemouth Bass are moderately abundant. Age data indicate that bass reproduction is consistently good as six successive age-classes were represented in the sample. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 5.4 to 19.3 inches. Largemouth Bass attain an average length of 13.2 inches at five years of age. There are no special or experimental fish harvest regulations in effect for Pleasant 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. Pleasant 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.

Pleasant Lake is a 370-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County five miles north of Underwood, MN. Pleasant Lake is connected to Little Pleasant Lake via an unnavigable culvert under a township road along the north shoreline. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. Pleasant Lake has a maximum depth of 38 feet; however, 64% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Historical secchi disk readings have ranged from 6.0 to 17.0 feet. A majority of the shoreline of Pleasant Lake remains undeveloped. A DNR owned concrete public water access is located along the northeast shoreline. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel with muck being the predominant substrate in the south bay. Hardstem bulrush and common cattail are prevalent along the entire shoreline 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 special spring trapnetting survey was conducted to analyze the Black Crappie population. Catch data indicate that Black Crappies are very abundant. The 2020 and 2021-year classes are strong and should provide consistently good Black Crappie angling for several years. Black Crappies ranged in length from 7.9 to 12.4 inches with an average length of 10.1 inches. Fifty-two percent of the crappies were 10.0 inches or greater in length. Black Crappie growth rates are fast with an average length of 10.7 inches at five years of age. There are no special or experimental fish harvest regulations in effect for Pleasant 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. Pleasant 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.

Pleasant Lake is a 370-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County five miles north of Underwood, MN. Pleasant Lake is connected to Little Pleasant Lake via an unnavigable culvert under a township road along the north shoreline. The immediate watershed consists of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 38 feet; however, 64% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Secchi disk readings have ranged from 6.0 to 17.0 feet. A majority of the shoreline remains undeveloped. A DNR owned public water access is located along the north shoreline. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Hardstem bulrush and common cattail are prevalent around the entire 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. Catch and length data indicate that a balanced bass population exists. Age data indicate that Largemouth Bass reproduction is consistently good. Bass ranged in length from 6.6 to 21.3 inches with an average length and weight of 14.8 inches and 2.0 pounds. Largemouth Bass attain an average length of 13.7 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. Pleasant 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.

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

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

Pleasant has a maximum depth of 38 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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