Otter Tail Lake
Encyclopedia
Otter Tail Lake is a 21 square miles (54.4 km²) lake in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota
and is the largest lake in Otter Tail County.
, it is a part of the Otter Tail River
chain of lakes. Upstream from the lake are Big Pine, Little Pine and Rush lakes, while downstream are East Lost, West Lost and Deer lakes. The maximum depth is 120 feet (36.6 m), but 57% of the lake is 15 feet (4.6 m) deep or less. The shore of the lake and at least the shallower areas are composed of sand and gravel. The water clarity is 10.5 feet (3.2 m), which is considered good. A prominent feature of Otter Tail is the "point" which essentially divides the lake into eastern and western halves.
Otter Tail lake is ringed with a tall, mostly deciduous
tree line. In general, the tree line goes back around 300 yards from the shore and acts as a windbreak, keeping the shoreline calm compared to the center of the lake.
The waters of Otter Tail Lake ultimately flow north into Hudson Bay
through the Red River of the North
.
and Northern pike
are most prevalent and the most sought after by anglers. The lake is also a popular destination for boating, power-boats and jet-skis, but also sailing. Because of the lake's large size, winds can pick up enough in the center of the lake for fairly challenging sailing. The heyday of sailing on the lake was the late 1960s through the mid 1980s, when the lake held annual sailing races. Especially popular at this time was the hobie cat
.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and is the largest lake in Otter Tail County.
Geography
Adjoining the city of OttertailOttertail, Minnesota
Ottertail is a city in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 572 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, it is a part of the Otter Tail River
Otter Tail River
The Otter Tail River is a river in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It begins in Clearwater County, southwest of Bemidji...
chain of lakes. Upstream from the lake are Big Pine, Little Pine and Rush lakes, while downstream are East Lost, West Lost and Deer lakes. The maximum depth is 120 feet (36.6 m), but 57% of the lake is 15 feet (4.6 m) deep or less. The shore of the lake and at least the shallower areas are composed of sand and gravel. The water clarity is 10.5 feet (3.2 m), which is considered good. A prominent feature of Otter Tail is the "point" which essentially divides the lake into eastern and western halves.
Otter Tail lake is ringed with a tall, mostly deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
tree line. In general, the tree line goes back around 300 yards from the shore and acts as a windbreak, keeping the shoreline calm compared to the center of the lake.
The waters of Otter Tail Lake ultimately flow north into Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
through the Red River of the North
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
.
Recreation
It is a recreational destination, with the majority of its shores surrounded by residential and commercial development. The lake is known for fishing; walleyeWalleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
and Northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
are most prevalent and the most sought after by anglers. The lake is also a popular destination for boating, power-boats and jet-skis, but also sailing. Because of the lake's large size, winds can pick up enough in the center of the lake for fairly challenging sailing. The heyday of sailing on the lake was the late 1960s through the mid 1980s, when the lake held annual sailing races. Especially popular at this time was the hobie cat
Hobie cat
A Hobie Cat is a small sailing catamaran manufactured by the Hobie Cat Company. Begun as a manufacturer of surf boards in the late 1950s, Hobie began manufacturing catamaran sailboats in the late 1960s and has become the largest manufacturer of small catamarans in the world...
.