Oliver (east portion)

Oliver Lake is in western Swift County, approximately nine miles north of Appleton. The lake is split into an east basin (455 acres) and west basin (212 acres) by Swift County Highway 5. A culvert exists under the highway so the basins typically have similar fish communities. This survey was conducted in East Oliver Lake to collect routine fish data using gill nets and trap nets. These data can be compared to historical Standard and Targeted Survey data from East Oliver Lake. Smallmouth bass were first caught in DNR sampling in 2013 and they likely resulted from an unauthorized stocking around 2010. They have since established a large population. Excellent habitat is present and their numbers are expected to remain high. Bass fishing has been very good with some fish exceeding 20 inches. Smallmouth bass lakes are rare in southwest Minnesota and East Oliver Lake provides a unique angling opportunity. East Oliver Lake has been a good walleye fishery for the last several years. In 2025, walleye ranged from 13-26 inches, with the majority 14-16 inches. The walleye population has primarily resulted from fry stocking and natural reproduction, with smaller contributions from stocked fingerlings, yearlings and adults. East Oliver warms slowly during spring because it is deeper than most lakes in the area, so the walleye bite usually doesn't occur until June. In 2025, yellow perch numbers were moderate and higher than in recent years. Most perch were 7-9-inches, but some up to 12 inches were also present. Black crappies and bluegills were found in low numbers.

Oliver Lake is in western Swift County, approximately nine miles north of Appleton. The lake is split into east and west basins by Swift County Highway 5. Connectivity is limited to one 36-inch culvert that is completely submerged under the highway. Walleye natural reproduction has generally been poor in both basins and stocking has been necessary to maintain the populations. The walleye stocking plan for East Oliver is 100,000 fry three of four years. Walleye fry stocked in 2021 and 2022 were from the Lower Mississippi Strain. This strain is showing potential to provide self-sustaining populations in many southern Minnesota lakes. No walleyes were stocked in 2024 due to two strong year classes in a row, including the naturally reproduced 2023 year class. This night electrofishing survey was conducted on 9/4/2024 to evaluate the abundance of young-of-year walleyes (YWAE) in the east basin. In three stations, 4 YWAE/hr were caught, which was near average for non-stocked years, but substantially lower than the 72/hr found in 2023, which was the highest rate observed in a non-stocked year in East Oliver.

Oliver Lake is in western Swift County, approximately nine miles north of Appleton. The lake is split into east and west basins by Swift County Highway 5. Connectivity is limited to one 36-inch culvert that is completely submersed under the highway. Walleye natural reproduction has generally been poor in both basins and stocking has been necessary to maintain the populations. The walleye stocking plan for West Oliver is 100,000 fry three of four years. Walleye fry stocked in 2021 and 2022 were from the Southern Minnesota strain. This strain is showing some potential to provide self-sustaining populations in many southern Minnesota lakes. No walleyes were stocked in 2023. This night electrofishing targeted survey was conducted on 8/29 to evaluate the abundance of young-of-year walleyes (YWAE) in the east basin. In three stations, 72 YWAE/hr were caught, which was the highest rate found in a non-stocked year in East Oliver. The 2023 walleyes averaged 6.2 inches and were in good condition. Yearling walleyes were also abundant (104/hr) and they were approximately 10 inches.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Black Crappie, and Bluegill in Oliver (east portion). See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Oliver (east portion). Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Oliver (east portion) has a maximum depth of 32 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Oliver (east portion) is from 2025.

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