Osakis

Lake Osakis (6,389 acres) is a nutrient-rich, highly productive basin located in both Douglas and Todd counties. Due to high nutrient levels, water quality can be seasonally impaired with periodic algal blooms and low water clarity (<3.5 feet). Lake Osakis supports a diverse and robust fishery in part due to a variety of fish habitats that include large, expansive bulrush beds, mid-lake flats, and rocky bars and shorelines. Multiple public accesses are available, including a fishing pier located at Battle Point Park. Caution should be used when navigating near Moon Bar (south of Battle Point) to avoid large rocks (some are marked with hazard buoys). Due to the popularity of Osakis' fish resources, recreational activity can be high during both open water and winter seasons. Sunfish harvest is regulated with a reduced daily bag limit of 10 fish and Walleye harvest is regulated with a 15-inch minimum length limit. In August 2025 a targeted fish survey was completed to gain current information on the fish community in Lake Osakis. Walleye catch rates were similar to the previous two surveys at 6.8 fish/gill net. Young Walleye are stocked each year by the DNR and Osakis Lake Association to supplement natural reproduction, although assessing contributions from natural reproduction and the different stockings that take place is difficult due to the high frequency of Walleye stocking events. This survey will be part of a four year study determining the level of natural reproduction and contributions from stocking in Lake Osakis. Recently, moderate sized year classes were recorded in four consecutive years from 2021 through 2024. Approximately 50% of Walleye caught in this survey exceeded 15 inches and were legal to harvest. On average, Walleye reach the 15-inch minimum length limit at around 3 years old. Northern Pike abundance was near the long-term average for Lake Osakis. Gill net catches averaged 5.2 fish/gill net, which is lower than many lakes in the area, but more desirable when hoping to maintain better Northern Pike size structure and higher Walleye abundance. The number of moderate to larger sized Northern Pike appears to be improving. The largest pike caught measured 36.1 inches. Anglers are encouraged to take advantage of expanded harvest opportunities within the North-central Harvest Zone to increase harvest of small (<22 inches) Northern Pike. Lake Osakis supports high quality bass and panfish fishing opportunities. Black Crappie catch rates were still above the long-term average for Lake Osakis. An extremely large Black Crappie year class from 2010 elevated crappie numbers to historic proportions during past surveys. While crappie fisheries tend to be cyclical in nature, these very large year classes can impact recruitment of other species, especially Walleye. The moderate abundance of Black Crappie currently in Lake Osakis will still provide excellent crappie fishing, while likely providing room for the Walleye population to rebound. Many of the crappie caught during this survey were smaller, but they grow fast in Lake Osakis and should soon reach harvestable sizes. Bluegill catch rates were high during this survey, with many fish over 8 inches observed. Lake Osakis has the potential to grow very large Bluegill, but excessive harvest can greatly reduce the number of fish that live long enough to make it to larger sizes. Anglers supported the implementation of a reduced daily bag limit of 10 sunfish that took effect in 2021. The regulation is intended to help improve the size structure of Bluegill in Lake Osakis. Yellow Perch numbers decreased in the 2025 survey, and were below average for Lake Osakis. While few fish appear to reach harvestable size, perch provide a great food source for predators such as Walleyes and Northern Pike. Lake Osakis is designated as an infested waterbody due to the presence of zebra mussels. For more information regarding aquatic invasive species in Minnesota see the following: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquatic/index.html.

Lake Osakis (6,389 acres) is a nutrient-rich, highly productive basin located in both Douglas and Todd counties. Due to high nutrient levels, water quality can be seasonally impaired with periodic algal blooms and low water clarity (<3.5 feet). Lake Osakis supports a diverse fish community and robust fishery in part due to a variety of fish habitats that include large, expansive bulrush beds, mid-lake flats, and rocky bars and shorelines. Multiple public accesses are available, including a fishing pier located at Battle Point Park. Caution should be used when navigating near Moon Bar (southwest of Battle Point) to avoid large rocks (some are marked with hazard buoys). Due to the popularity of Osakis' fish resources, recreational activity can be high during both open water and winter seasons. Sunfish harvest is regulated with a reduced daily bag limit of 10 fish and Walleye harvest is regulated with a 15-inch minimum length limit. In August 2022 a standard fish survey was completed to gain current information of the fish community. Walleye catch rates were similar to the previous survey at 6.2 fish/gill net, though this catch rate is below average for Lake Osakis. Young Walleye are stocked each year by the DNR and Osakis Lake and Resort Associations to supplement natural reproduction and recruitment, although assessing contributions from natural reproduction and the different stockings that take place is difficult due to the high frequency of Walleye stocking events. Moderate sized year classes were recorded from 2018 and 2021 that should provide good Walleye fishing opportunities for the next several years. Approximately 50% of Walleye caught in the survey exceeded 15 inches in total length and were legal to harvest. On average, Walleye reach the 15-inch minimum length limit at around 3 years old. Northern Pike abundance was near the long term average for Lake Osakis. Gill net catches averaged 5.3 fish/gill net, which is lower than many lakes in the area, but more desirable when hoping to maintain higher Walleye abundance. The largest pike caught measured 31 inches. Many of the pike caught during surveys on Lake Osakis are smaller fish. Anglers are encouraged to take advantage of expanded harvest opportunities within the North-central Harvest Zone to increase harvest of this surplus of small (<22 inches) Northern Pike. Lake Osakis supports high quality bass and panfish fishing opportunities. Black Crappie catch rates declined again in 2022, but were still above the long term average for Lake Osakis. An extremely large Black Crappie year class from 2010 elevated crappie numbers to historic proportions during past surveys. While crappie fisheries tend to be cyclical in nature, these very large year classes can impact recruitment of other species, especially Walleye. The moderate abundance of Black Crappie currently in Lake Osakis will still provide excellent crappie fishing, while likely providing room for the Walleye population to rebound. Many of the crappie caught during this survey were smaller, but they grow fast in Lake Osakis and should soon reach harvestable sizes. Most Bluegill caught during the survey were smaller, younger fish. Only a few Bluegill over 8 inches were observed. Lake Osakis has the potential to grow very large Bluegill, but excessive harvest can greatly reduce the number of fish that live long enough to make it to larger sizes. Anglers supported the implementation of a reduced daily bag limit of 10 sunfish that took effect in the spring of 2021. The regulation is intended to help improve the size structure of Bluegill in Lake Osakis. Largemouth Bass catch rates during the 2022 electrofishing survey were lower than previous surveys, but a late cold spring may have hampered survey results. Largemouth Bass also grow fast in Lake Osakis and almost half of the fish caught in the survey were over 15 inches. Though Smallmouth Bass are often observed in lower numbers during surveys, they can provide an excellent fishing opportunity as well during certain times of the year. Yellow Perch numbers decreased in the 2022 survey, but were still above average for Lake Osakis. While only a few fish appear to reach harvestable size, high perch numbers provide a great food source for predators such as Walleyes and Northern Pike. Higher perch numbers and greater availability of a preferred food item may also limit predation on small Walleye by Northern Pike and larger Walleyes. Other notable fishes captured in the 2018 survey included Cisco (Tullibee), Bowfin (Dogfish), and three species of bullheads (Brown, Yellow, and Black). Lake Osakis has produced state record fish including Yellow Bullhead (3 lbs. 10oz.) and Rock Bass (2 lbs. 0 oz.). Lake Osakis was designated as an infested water after the discovery of zebra mussels in 2017. Recreational users should take necessary precautions to prevent further spread of invasive species. Drain all water and remove all aquatic vegetation from your boat and trailer when leaving any body of water.

In the spring of 2021, a targeted panfish survey was completed on Lake Osakis to better assess the Bluegill and Black Crappie populations. A special regulation that reduced the daily sunfish limit from 20 down to 10 was also implemented in the spring of 2021. The goal of the new regulation is to increase the average size of Bluegill. This survey will be used to help evaluate the effects of the regulation on the Bluegill population. Bluegill catch rates were moderate and growth rates are above average. Almost all of the Bluegill sampled were age 6 or younger. Only 4% of the Bluegill surveyed were over 8 inches and none were sampled over 9 inches. The largest Bluegill sampled was 8.7 inches. Black Crappie catch rates were also moderate and growth rates are fast. Many large crappies were observed during the survey. Approximately 70% of the Black Crappie were over 10 inches and 20% were over 12 inches. The largest crappie sampled was 13.1 inches. Quality fishing opportunities exist for multiple species in Lake Osakis. Anglers are encouraged to practice selective harvest to help sustain the quality of the fishery. Selective harvest encourages the release of larger fish while promoting harvest of more abundant smaller fish. Releasing medium to large fish will help restore and maintain fish community balance, as well as increase opportunities to catch large fish in the future. Lake Osakis was designated as an infested water after the discovery of zebra mussels in 2016. Recreational users should take necessary precautions to prevent further spread of invasive species. Drain all water and remove all aquatic vegetation from your boat and trailer when leaving any body of water.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Black Crappie, Northern Pike, Walleye, Pumpkinseed, and Bluegill in Osakis. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

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

Osakis has a maximum depth of 73 feet and a mean depth of 20 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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