Oliver (west 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 and the basins typically have similar fish communities. This survey was conducted on West Oliver Lake to collect routine fish data using gill nets, trap nets and electrofishing. These data can be compared to historical Standard and Targeted Surveys from West Oliver Lake. West Oliver Lake has been a good walleye fishery for many years. Walleyes were moderately abundant in 2025 with a relatively high number between 14 and 19 inches. Some larger fish over 20 inches were also present. The walleye population has primarily been maintained by fry stocking, with smaller contributions by stocked fingerlings and yearlings. Some natural reproduction has been observed in recent years as well. A substantial population of smallmouth bass has become established in West Oliver Lake, with fish up to 19 inches present. Yellow perch numbers in 2025 were higher than in recent years. Many perch were between 8 and 9.5 inches, with the largest measuring over 11 inches. Moderate numbers of bluegills were present, but few were over 7 inches. Black crappie populations tend to fluctuate widely in prairie lakes, and West Oliver Lake is no exception. Although black crappies have been abundant at times historically, but very few were caught in 2025.

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 West Oliver is 100,000 fry three of four years. Walleye fry stocked in 2021 and 2022 were from the Lower Mississippi Strain. This strain has shown the potential to provide self-sustaining populations in many southern Minnesota lakes. Per the management plan and due to the presence of previous strong year classes, no walleyes were stocked in 2023 or 2024. Night electrofishing was conducted on 9/4/2024 to evaluate the abundance of young-of-year walleyes (YWAE) in the west basin. In three stations, 14 YWAE/hour were caught, which is the highest recorded catch rate from a non-stocked year in West Oliver and was similar to the 12/hour caught in 2023. The mean rate for non-stocked years is 3 YWAE/hour. The 2024 year class of walleyes averaged 7.6 inches and were in good condition.

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 west basin. In three stations 12 YWAE/hour were caught, which is the highest recorded catch rate from a non-stocked year in West Oliver. The mean rate for non-stocked years is only 2 YWAE/hour. The 2023 walleyes averaged 6.1 inches and were in good condition. Yearling walleyes were abundant and they measured approximately 10 inches.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Yellow Perch, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Black Crappie in Oliver (west 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 (west portion). Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Oliver (west portion) has a maximum depth of 14 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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