Minnesota · Otter Tail County
West Olaf Lake Fishing guide
West Olaf Lake sits in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, and covers 209 acres, reaching 61 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 8.5 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 3 times, most recently in 2007, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 19 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
Largemouth bassFair numbers42.3per hr (electrofishing)13"Typical18"Biggest
Lengths measured · 38 fish
Northern pikeJust a few2.2per gill net25"Typical29"Biggest
Lengths measured · 14 fish
BluegillFair numbers32.3per trap net6"Typical7"Biggest
Lengths measured · 467 fish
CrappieJust a few0.9per trap net6"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 35 fish
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 West Olaf Lake through the year
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn.
- 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 61 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.
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. On a lake that drops to 61 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
- 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:
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Topwater Popper
2.5–3" concave-face popper
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Hollow-Body Frog
3–3.5" hollow-body frog
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
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
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 2007 survey
West Olaf Lake is a 143-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in west central Otter Tail County, approximately 6 miles west of the city Pelican Rapids. There are no inlets or outlets located on West Olaf. Water levels are approximately 6 to 8 feet above normal levels, thus making the state owned (DNR) access unusable. The DNR owned access is located on the northeast shoreline, located just off Co. Rd. 30. Access is currently gained off of Co. Rd. 30, however parking is limited and not allowed along the waters edge of Co. Rd. 30. West Olaf Lake is part of the Buffalo River watershed and is composed primarily of agricultural land and interspersed with hardwood lots. West Olaf Lake has a maximum depth of 61 feet; 51% of the surface acreage is less than 15 feet deep. The secchi disk reading, a measurement of water clarity, was 8.5 feet. Past secchi disk readings have ranged from 11.0 to 15.5 feet. West Olaf Lake is included in lake class 25 of the MNDNR lake classification scheme. Other lakes in the Fergus Falls management area that are in lake class 25 include: Bass (Elbow), Beers, Franklin, Jolly Ann, Leek, South Lida, Long, Red River, Schwartz, Sewell, West Silent, East Spirit, Stuart, Swan, and Sybil.
The majority of the shoreline is undeveloped. Shoreline substrates consist primarily of sand scattered with gravel and rubble with some muck mixed in. The abundance of emergent aquatic plants has been negatively effected by the recent years of high water. However bulrush and cattail are present in areas throughout the basin. These emergent plants 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 important nursery areas 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
Northern pike abundance is low, but the size structure appears to be good as 54% of the northern pike sampled by gill nets were 24-inches or greater. Age data from recent surveys indicate that pike recruitment is low but it is consistent. The average length and weight of northern pike sampled by gill nets was 25.1 inches and 3.6 pounds. Northern pike attain a mean length of 19.3 inches at age-III.
Bluegill abundance is considered to be within the normal range for lakes of this type, however the size structure is poor. Only 4% of the bluegills sampled by trap nets were 7.0 inches or greater in length. Recruitment appears to be consistent as there were seven consecutive year classes sampled. Bluegill attain a mean length of 5.7 inches at age-V.
A spring electrofishing assessment was conducted to analyze the largemouth bass population. Largemouth sampled during the electrofishing assessment ranged in length from 4.4 to 18.4 inches with an average length and weight of 12.5 inches and 1.4 pounds. Age and growth data indicate that West Olaf Lake's bass population is balanced and has low to moderate levels of recruitment, mortality, and growth. Bass attain a mean length of 11.6 inches at age-IV.
A spring electrofishing assessment was conducted to analyze the black crappie population. Black crappie sampled during the electrofishing assessment ranged in length from 4.5 to 9.8 inches with a mean length of 7.2 inches. Although six consecutive year classes were sampled the 2005-year class comprised 52% of the sample and the 2002-year class comprised 19% of the sample. Black crappie attain a mean length of 7.6 inches at age-IV.
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 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
West Olaf Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on West Olaf 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
- DNR access
DNR bathymetry
West Olaf Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Prairie Lake · 1,004 ac · 5.4 mi
- Tamarac Lake · 445 ac · 6.7 mi
- Lizzie (north portion) Lake · 1,913 ac · 8.7 mi
- Ida Lake · 632 ac · 9.7 mi
- Fish Lake · 293 ac · 10 mi
- North Lida Lake · 5,523 ac · 10.1 mi
- South Lida Lake · 777 ac · 10.3 mi
- Franklin Lake · 1,088 ac · 10.4 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is West Olaf Lake?
West Olaf Lake reaches 61 ft at its deepest point; about 35% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is West Olaf Lake?
West Olaf Lake covers 209 acres with about 5 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in West Olaf Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on West Olaf Lake average 8.5 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in West Olaf Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2007) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is West Olaf Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for West Olaf Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does West Olaf Lake have a public access?
Yes. West Olaf Lake has one public access site: DNR access.
How big do largemouth bass get in West Olaf Lake?
The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 18".
When was West Olaf Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed West Olaf Lake in 2007, 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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