Minnesota · Swift County

Oliver (east portion) Lake Fishing guide

Oliver (east portion) Lake is a 467-acre lake in Swift County, Minnesota, reaching 32 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 11.1 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 5 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 32 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface467 ac

Max depth32 ft

Clarity11.1 ft

Surveyed2025

How to fish Oliver (east portion) Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. At 11.1 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
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.
Fall: Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.

Smallmouth bass

Spring: Smallmouth are on shallow rock, gravel and sand where they spawn. At 11.1 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
Early summer: Smallmouth are post-spawn on rock points, gravel bars and the adjacent breaks.
Summer: Smallmouth are on rock humps, points and hard-bottom breaks.
Fall: Smallmouth are bunched tight on deep rock, so find one and you have found the school.

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	Walleye	Smallmouth bass	Northern pike
2025	26"	19"	—
2023	8"	—	—
2022	27"	19"	—
2019	26"	17"	—

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:

Walleye · Live bait

Slip Bobber + Leech

jumbo or large leech

4–20 ftdead slow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Soft plastics

Curly-Tail Grub on Jig

3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead

3–25 ftslow

Shop curly-tail grubs →

Smallmouth bass · Soft plastics

Ned Rig

2.75" finesse stickbait or craw-style Ned bait

5–25 ftdead slowweedless

Shop ned rig plastics →

Smallmouth bass · Soft plastics

Drop Shot (Finesse Plastic)

4" finesse worm or 3" minnow-profile plastic

8–40 ftdead slowweedless

Shop finesse plastics →

Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead

3–25 ftmoderate

Shop paddletail swimbaits →

Northern pike · Muskie & pike

Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)

10" soft rubber body bait

3–25 ftslow

Shop musky rubber →

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

DNR stocking records

Stocking history

Year	Species	Stocked
2025	Walleye	100,000 fry
2022	Walleye	101,141 fry
2021	SPO	2,604 adults
2021	Walleye	100,000 fry · 766 adults

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2025 survey

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.

Read the full DNR narrative

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.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Oliver (east portion) Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Oliver (east portion) 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

Swift County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Oliver Lake East (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Oliver (east portion) Lake depth map

Oliver (east portion) Lake depth contour map, Swift County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 32 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

Lake Oliver · 686 ac · 0.1 mi
Oliver (west portion) Lake · 218 ac · 1.4 mi
Artichoke Lake · 1,971 ac · 5.8 mi
Shible Lake · 340 ac · 5.9 mi
Dry Wood Lake · 404 ac · 6.2 mi
Long Lake · 395 ac · 7.5 mi
Marsh Lake · 4,462 ac · 11.6 mi
Lake Hattie · 459 ac · 13.5 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Oliver (east portion) Lake?

Oliver (east portion) Lake reaches 32 ft at its deepest point.

How big is Oliver (east portion) Lake?

Oliver (east portion) Lake covers 467 acres with about 4.9 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Oliver (east portion) Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Oliver (east portion) Lake average 11.1 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Oliver (east portion) Lake?

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

Is Oliver (east portion) Lake stocked?

Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2021.

Does Oliver (east portion) Lake have a public access?

Yes. Oliver (east portion) Lake has one public access site: Oliver Lake East (trailer launch).

How big do walleye get in Oliver (east portion) Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 27"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2019.

When was Oliver (east portion) Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Oliver (east portion) Lake in 2025, the most recent of 5 surveys on record.

Page updated October 28, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Oliver (east portion) Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Oliver (east portion) Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report