Hoot

Hoot Lake is a 155-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in southwest Otter Tail County. Hoot Lake is located within the city limits of Fergus Falls, MN. Hoot Lake is part of the Otter Tail River chain of lakes. The Otter Tail River enters the lake along the northeast shoreline and outlets to Wright Lake along the south shoreline. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of residential areas except for a small area north of the lake, which is composed of mixed hardwoods and pasture. Hoot Lake has a maximum depth of 20 feet; however, 41% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The secchi disk reading was 12.5 feet. Previous secchi disk readings ranged from 7.5 to 11.0 feet. A large majority of the shoreline of Hoot Lake is developed with homes. Godel City Park is located along the south shoreline and includes such amenities as a fishing pier, walking trail, picnic shelter, and a playground. A concrete public water access is also located within the park. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand, gravel, and rubble. Hardstem bulrush and wild rice are prevalent around the entire shoreline of the lake. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush and wild rice provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms 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. Hoot Lake can be ecologically classified as a Bass-Panfish-Walleye type of lake, and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Northern Pike, Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass, Walleye, and Bluegill are the dominant gamefish species. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the abundance of suitable spawning habitat within the lake and the river connected to it. Northern Pike abundance is moderate. The Northern Pike population has a quality size structure with a length range from 18.5 to 30.1 inches with an average length and weight of 24.3 inches and 3.3 pounds. Northern Pike attain an average length of 25.5 inches at four years of age. Catch data from a spring electrofishing survey indicate that Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass are very abundant. Age data indicate that reproduction for both species is consistently good. Smallmouth Bass ranged in length from 6.1 to 20.9 inches, while Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 3.4 to 19.1 inches. Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass attain average lengths of 15.1 and 14.3 inches, respectively, at five years of age. Walleye abundance remains at a moderate level. Walleyes ranged in length from 7.6 to 26.5 inches with an average length and weight of 19.2 inches and 3.1 pounds. Walleyes attain an average length of 15.4 inches at four years of age. MN DNR Fisheries maintains a viable Walleye population by stocking Walleye fingerlings on an every other year basis. Bluegill abundance remains high; however, size structure is poor. Only eleven percent of the Bluegills were 7.0 inches or greater in length. Bluegills attain an average length of 7.0 inches at five years of age. Three Lake Sturgeon were captured, ranging in length from 35.4 to 43.3 inches. Lake Sturgeon were initially sampled in the 2006 survey. Lake Sturgeon enter Hoot Lake via downstream movement from Otter Tail Lake where a Lake Sturgeon re-introduction plan was implemented in 2002. A low density, self-sustaining Muskellunge population also exists in Hoot Lake. Musky anglers utilize this unique resource on a frequent basis. A strict catch-and-release only fishing regulation for Smallmouth Bass is in effect for the Otter Tail River and all connected impoundments, which includes Hoot Lake. All Smallmouth Bass must be released immediately after being caught. Anglers can also maintain the quality of fishing in Hoot Lake 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. Hoot Lake was listed as infested with Zebra Mussels in 2017. 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.

Hoot Lake is a 155-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in southwest Otter Tail County and is within the city limits of Fergus Falls, MN. Hoot Lake is part of the Otter Tail River chain of lakes. The river enters the lake along the northeast shoreline and outlets to Wright Lake along the south shoreline. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of residential areas except for a small area north of the lake which is composed of mixed hardwoods and pasture. The maximum depth is 20 feet; however, 41% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The secchi disk reading was 7.5 feet. Previous secchi disk readings ranged from 8.5 to 11.0 feet. The majority of the shoreline of Hoot Lake is developed with homes. A city owned public water access is located along the south shoreline. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand, gravel, and rubble. Hardstem bulrush and wild rice are prevalent around the entire shoreline of the lake. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush and wild rice 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. Hoot Lake can be ecologically classified as a Bass-Panfish-Walleye type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, and Bluegill are the dominant gamefish species. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the abundance of suitable spawning habitat within the lake and the river connected to it. Age and length data indicate that Northern Pike reproduction is consistenty good. Northern Pike ranged in length from 19.4 to 28.8 inches with an average length and weight of 22.8 inches and 2.5 pounds. Northern Pike attain an average length of 22.7 inches at four years of age. Catch data from a spring electrofishing assessment indicate that Smallmouth Bass are very abundant. Age data indicate that Smallmouth Bass reproduction is consistently good. Smallmouth Bass ranged in length from 5.9 to 18.7 inches with an average length and weight of 13.9 inches and 1.2 pounds. Smallmouth Bass attain an average length of 14.6 inches at four years of age. There is a catch and release regulation for Smallmouth Bass on the Otter Tail River and its impoundments which includes Hoot Lake. Walleye abundance remains moderately high. Walleyes ranged in length from 7.2 to 25.2 inches with an average length and weight of 14.6 inches and 1.2 pounds. Walleyes attain an average length of 16.1 inches at four years of age. Bluegill abundance remains high; however, size structure is poor. Onlly six percent of the Bluegills were 7.0 inches or greater in length. Bluegills attain an average length of 7.8 inches at five years of age. Two Lake Sturgeon were sampled. Lake Sturgeon were initially sampled in the 2006 assessment. Lake Sturgeon enter Hoot Lake by downstream movement from Otter Tail Lake where a Lake Sturgeon re-introduction plan was implemented in 2002. Anglers can maintain the quality of fishing in Hoot Lake 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.

Hoot Lake is a 155-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in southwest Otter Tail County and is within the city limits of Fergus Falls, MN. Hoot Lake is part of the Otter Tail River chain of lakes. The river enters the lake along the northeast shoreline and outlets to Wright Lake along the south shoreline. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of residential areas except for a small area north of the lake which is composed of mixed hardwoods and pasture. The maximum depth is 20 feet; however, 41% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Secchi disk readings have ranged from 8.5 to 11.0 feet. The majority of the shoreline of Hoot Lake is developed with homes. A city owned public water access is located along the south shoreline. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand, gravel, and rubble. Hardstem bulrush and wild rice are prevalent around the entire shoreline of the lake. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush and wild rice 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. Hoot Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish-walleye type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, and bluegill are the dominant gamefish species. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the abundance of suitable spawning habitat within the lake and the river connected to it. Data from a spring electrofishing assessment indicate that a balanced largemouth bass population exists. Age data indicate that reproduction is consistently good. Largemouth bass attain an average length of 13.0 inches at four years of age. Data from the electrofishing assessment also indicate that smallmouth bass are very abundant. Age data indicate that smallmouth bass recruitment is also consistently good. Smallmouth bass ranged in length from 8.5 to 19.4 inches with an average length and weight of 14.4 inches and 1.8 pounds. Smallmouth bass attain an average length of 13.6 inches at four years of age. Walleye abundance is the highest ever recorded for this lake. Walleyes ranged in length from 7.2 to 25.2 inches with an average length and weight of 14.6 inches and 1.2 pounds. Walleyes attain an average length of 16.1 inches at four years of age. Bluegills are also abundant. Seven percent of the bluegills sampled were 7.0 inches or greater in length. Growth rates are good; bluegills attain an average length of 7.1 inches at five years of age. Anglers can maintain the quality of fishing in Hoot Lake 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 Smallmouth Bass, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Walleye in Hoot. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Hoot has a maximum depth of 20 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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