Minnesota · Otter Tail County
Bear Lake Fishing guide
Bear Lake sits in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, and covers 198 acres, reaching 32 ft at its deepest point. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 3 times, most recently in 2016, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 10 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
No recent survey rating.
No recent survey rating.
No recent survey rating.
BluegillNo recent survey ratingNo recent survey rating.
No recent survey rating.
Lengths measured · 756 fish
No recent survey rating.
No recent survey rating.
Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Bear 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.
- 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. With 61% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Bluegill are back up onto the flats and into the last green weeds, feeding hard while the shallows still hold heat.
Walleye
- Spring
- Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds.
- Early summer
- Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
- Summer
- Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure. With 61% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
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
Bluegill · Jigs & bladed
Beetle Spin
1.5–2" curly-tail grub trailer on a small in-line spinner jighead
Walleye · Live bait
Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler
jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler
Walleye · Trolling
Leadcore Line + Crankbaits
4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Wacky-Rigged Stickworm
5" stickworm
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 2016 survey
Bear Lake is a 181-acre eutrophic (fertile) lake located in northeast Otter Tail County, approximately 12 miles northeast of Perham, MN. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 32 feet; however, 66% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth.
The majority of the shoreline of Bear Lake remains undeveloped. A state owned public water access is located on the north shoreline. Vast areas of emergent and submergent vegetation are prevalent throughout the lake. Emergent aquatic plants such as hardstem bulrush and common cattail 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 an important nursery area for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit.
Read the full DNR narrative
A spring trapnetting assessment was conducted to analyze the Bluegill population. Bluegill abundance and size structure has historically fluctuated. In this survey, Bluegills were very abundant and 55% of the Bluegills measured 7.0 inches or greater in length. Bluegills ranged in length from 3.5 to 8.5 inches with an average length of 6.8 inches. Bluegills attain an average length of 6.3 inches at five years of age.
Anglers can maintain the quality of fishing 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.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Bear Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Bear 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.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Bear Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Bear Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Big Pine Lake · 4,728 ac · 6.9 mi
- Little Pine Lake · 2,080 ac · 8.2 mi
- Wolf Lake · 1,460 ac · 9.6 mi
- Murphy Lake · 317 ac · 12.2 mi
- Silver Lake · 239 ac · 12.2 mi
- Devils Lake · 355 ac · 12.7 mi
- Little Toad Lake · 406 ac · 13 mi
- Toad Lake · 1,715 ac · 13.1 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Bear Lake?
Bear Lake reaches 32 ft at its deepest point; about 61% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Bear Lake?
Bear Lake covers 198 acres with about 4.1 miles of shoreline.
What fish are in Bear Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2016) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Bear Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Bear Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Bear Lake have a public access?
Yes. Bear Lake has one public access site: Bear Lake (trailer launch).
How big do bluegill get in Bear Lake?
The biggest bluegill measured in recent DNR surveys taped 8".
When was Bear Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Bear Lake in 2016, the most recent of 3 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
Page updated .
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