Minnesota · Otter Tail County

Annie Battle Lake Fishing guide

Annie Battle Lake sits in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, and covers 354 acres, reaching 51 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 14.5 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 9 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and muskellunge in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 51 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface354 ac

Max depth51 ft

Clarity14.5 ft

Littoral42%

Surveyed2025

How to fish Annie Battle Lake through the year

Bluegill

Spring: Bluegill are on the beds in firm-bottomed shallows, in colonies of dozens. On a clear lake those colonies sit deeper than you expect. At 14.5 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
Early summer: Bluegill are off the beds and onto the weed edges and brush, the biggest ones pulling out first.
Summer: Bluegill are on the deep weedline of a stratified lake, sliding out as the surface starts back down. On a lake that drops to 51 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Bluegill are back up onto the flats and into the last green weeds, feeding hard while the shallows still hold heat.

Largemouth bass

Spring: Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. At 14.5 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
Early summer: Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
Summer: Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade. On a lake that drops to 51 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.

Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Bluegill	Largemouth bass	Walleye
2025	8"	—	—
2019	8"	17"	23"
2014	9"	16"	23"
2010	8"	17"	27"
2005	9"	17"	24"
2002	9"	14"	22"
1999	9"	14"	29"

Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.

Suggested tackle

What to bring

Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:

Bluegill · Soft plastics

Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic

1–1.5" micro plastic

2–15 ftdead slow

Shop micro plastics →

Bluegill · Jigs & bladed

Beetle Spin

1.5–2" curly-tail grub trailer on a small in-line spinner jighead

2–10 ftslowweedless

Shop beetle spins →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

Shop plastic worms →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Free Rig

Creature bait or magnum finesse worm

8–30 ftdead slowweedless

Shop creature baits →

Walleye · Live bait

Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler

jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler

8–35 ftslow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Trolling

Leadcore Line + Crankbaits

4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run

15–45 fttrolling

Shop deep-diving crankbaits →

Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2025 survey

Annie Battle Lake is a 334-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located approximately five miles northeast of the town of Battle Lake, MN. An unnavigable inlet from Molly Stark Lake is located along the southwest shoreline. An unnavigable outlet along the northwest shoreline flows into Blanche Lake. The immediate watershed is composed of rolling grassland interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 51 feet; however, 45% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The shoreline length is 2.7 miles. Historical Secchi disk readings have ranged from 6.3 to 14.5 feet.

The entire shoreline of Annie Battle Lake is located within Glendalough State Park; therefore, development along the lakeshore is very limited. There is a campground located on the northwest shoreline with four rental cabins and several campsites. Primitive camping sites are also located along the east shoreline. A carry-in water access is also located along the northwest shoreline.

Read the full DNR narrative

Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Hardstem bulrush is prevalent along the entire shoreline. Emergent aquatic plants provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical in maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms from wave erosion and help absorb excess nutrients. Emergent plants also provide critical spawning habitat for several fish species including Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass and panfish. They also serve as important nursery areas for many species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants cannot be removed without a DNR permit.

Prior to 1990, there was no public access to Annie Battle Lake. When Glendalough State Park was established in 1990 and public access was allowed to the lake, angling pressure was extensive, which negatively impacted the quality fishery that existed. In an attempt to re-establish the quality of the fish populations, Annie Battle Lake was closed to angling from 1993 to 1997. In 1997, special regulations were implemented which designated the lake as a "heritage fishery" in which electronic equipment (depth finders, GPS units, etc.) and motors of any type, including power augers, were prohibited. The regulation also includes catch and release angling for Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike and a reduced bag limit for Bluegill and Black Crappie (5 each per day). The intent of this regulation is to improve and maintain the size structure of these species.

Annie Battle Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Bluegill, Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie are the dominant fish species in Annie Battle Lake. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the abundance of suitable spawning habitat that is available.

A spring electrofishing survey was conducted to analyze the Largemouth Bass population. Survey data indicate that Largemouth Bass abundance, growth, and reproduction occur at moderate levels. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 6.8 to 16.8 inches with an average length of 12.8 inches. Largemouth Bass attain an average length of 12.7 inches at five years of age.

Anglers can maintain the quality of angling by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium to large-size fish while allowing the harvest of the 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.

Annie Battle Lake was listed as infested with zebra mussels in 2018. 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.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Annie Battle Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Annie Battle Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.

Open the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report

Otter Tail County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Annie Battle Lake (carry-in)

DNR bathymetry

Annie Battle Lake depth map

Annie Battle Lake depth contour map, Otter Tail County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 51 ft from Minnesota DNR bathymetry, free to save or print. The live map adds ranked spots and conditions on the same contours.

Within 30 miles

Nearby lakes

Molly Stark Lake · 152 ac · 0.8 mi
Blanche Lake · 1,296 ac · 1.5 mi
West Battle Lake · 5,615 ac · 2.4 mi
Ethel Lake · 191 ac · 2.9 mi
First Silver Lake · 529 ac · 3.4 mi
Otter Tail Lake · 14,079 ac · 4.7 mi
Elbow Lake · 188 ac · 4.7 mi
Stuart Lake · 740 ac · 5.3 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Annie Battle Lake?

Annie Battle Lake reaches 51 ft at its deepest point; about 42% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Annie Battle Lake?

Annie Battle Lake covers 354 acres with about 2.8 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Annie Battle Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Annie Battle Lake average 14.5 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Annie Battle Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, muskellunge, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.

Is Annie Battle Lake stocked?

No stocking is on record for Annie Battle Lake in the DNR's stocking database.

Does Annie Battle Lake have a public access?

Yes. Annie Battle Lake has one public access site: Annie Battle Lake (carry-in).

How big do bluegill get in Annie Battle Lake?

The biggest bluegill measured in recent DNR surveys taped 8"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1999.

When was Annie Battle Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Annie Battle Lake in 2025, the most recent of 9 surveys on record.

Page updated October 28, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Annie Battle Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Annie Battle Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report