Lake information report

Name: Otter

Nearest Town: Bald Eagle
Primary County: Anoka

Survey Date: 06/11/2007
Inventory Number: 02000300

Public Access Information

Ownership	Type	Description
County	Concrete

Lake Characteristics

Lake Area (acres): 302.21
Littoral Area (acres): 328
Maximum Depth (ft): 21
Water Clarity (ft): 15.5

Dominant Bottom Substrate: N/A
Abundance of Aquatic Plants: N/A
Maximum Depth of Plant Growth (ft): N/A

Did you know? Each year, the MinnAqua program teaches beginning anglers, primarily inner city youth, about fishing and aquatic biology.

Fish Sampled for the 2007 Survey Year

Species	Gear Used	Number of fish per net		Average Fish Weight (lbs)	Normal Range (lbs)
Species	Gear Used	Caught	Normal Range	Average Fish Weight (lbs)	Normal Range (lbs)
Black Bullhead	Trap net	0.89	1.1 - 17.4	0.36	0.2 - 0.6
	Gill net	29.50	1.9 - 57.5	0.21	0.2 - 0.6
Black Crappie	Trap net	0.78	0.8 - 6.5	0.29	0.2 - 0.6
	Gill net	1.50	1.0 - 7.3	0.05	0.2 - 0.4
Bluegill	Trap net	95.00	2.5 - 25.0	0.11	0.1 - 0.5
	Gill net	2.00	N/A	0.09	N/A
Bowfin (dogfish)	Trap net	2.00	0.5 - 1.7	4.51	2.1 - 4.3
	Gill net	1.50	0.5 - 1.5	3.40	3.4 - 4.5
Golden Shiner	Gill net	4.00	0.5 - 2.3	0.07	0.1 - 0.1
Green Sunfish	Trap net	0.44	0.3 - 1.5	0.05	0.1 - 0.4
Hybrid Sunfish	Trap net	1.11	N/A	0.11	N/A
Largemouth Bass	Trap net	0.22	0.3 - 0.9	1.18	0.3 - 1.2
	Gill net	0.50	0.3 - 1.3	1.42	0.4 - 1.5
Northern Pike	Trap net	0.44	N/A	2.18	N/A
	Gill net	15.50	4.6 - 11.6	2.38	1.5 - 2.6
Pumpkinseed	Trap net	3.11	1.4 - 8.6	0.17	0.1 - 0.3
Yellow Bullhead	Trap net	0.11	1.8 - 7.2	0.79	0.5 - 0.8

Normal Ranges represent typical catches for lakes with similar physical and chemical characteristics.

Length of Selected Species (Trapnet, Gillnet) Sampled for the 2007 Survey Year

Species	Number of fish caught in each category (inches)
Species	0-5	6-8	9-11	12-14	15-19	20-24	25-29	30+	Total
black bullhead	0	61	6	0	0	0	0	0	67
black crappie	3	6	1	0	0	0	0	0	10
bluegill	716	138	0	0	0	0	0	0	859
bowfin (dogfish)	0	0	0	0	1	16	3	1	21
golden shiner	3	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	8
green sunfish	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
hybrid sunfish	7	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	10
largemouth bass	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	3
northern pike	0	0	0	3	8	16	7	1	35
pumpkinseed	16	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	28
yellow bullhead	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1

For the record, the largest Flathead Catfish taken in Minnesota weighed 70 lbs. and was caught:

Where: St. Croix River
When: 1970

Fish Consumption Guidelines

These fish consumption guidelines help people make choices about which fish to eat and how often. Following the guidelines enables people to reduce their exposure to contaminants while still enjoying the many benefits from fish.

Pregnant Women, Women who may become pregnant and Children under age 15

LAKE NAME County, DOWID	Species	Meal Advice				Contaminants
LAKE NAME County, DOWID	Species	Unrestricted	1 meal/week	1 meal/month	Do not eat	Contaminants
OTTER Anoka Co., 02000300	Bluegill Sunfish		All sizes			Mercury
	Bullhead		All sizes			Mercury
	Northern Pike			All sizes		Mercury

General Population

LAKE NAME County, DOWID	Species	Meal Advice				Contaminants
LAKE NAME County, DOWID	Species	Unrestricted	1 meal/week	1 meal/month	Do not eat	Contaminants
OTTER Anoka Co., 02000300	Bluegill Sunfish	All sizes
	Bullhead	All sizes
	Northern Pike		All sizes			Mercury

DOWID - MN DNR, Divion of Waters' lake ID number.

Contaminants listed were measured at levels high enough to warrant a recommendation to limit consumption.

Listing of consumption guidelines do not imply the fish are legal to keep, MN DNR fishing regulations should be consulted.

Dioxin
Mercury
PCBS - Polychlorinated biphenyls
PFOS - Perfluorooctane sulfanate

Status of the Fishery (as of 06/11/2007)

The species composition and size structure of the fish population in Otter Lake is indicative of a body of water that periodically winterkills. Restocking after these events hasnt been necessary due to the connecting channel to Bald Eagle Lake. An aeration system has been installed and is operated by Ramsey County Public Works as needed to prevent extensive winterkills of fish. Net catches during this assessment indicate that no significant winterkill has occurred in this lake since the winter of 2000/2001. Northern Pike (NOP) were sampled above median levels for abundance and mean weight in gill nets. The 15.5 fish/set in 2007 is the second highest gill net catch rate of NOP ever recorded for this lake (39.0/set in 1997). The average size NOP captured was approximately 21.8 inches and 2.4 pounds. Over 18 percent of sampled NOP measured 26.0 inches or larger. Bluegill (BLG) were sampled with the highest catch rate in trap nets ever recorded for this lake (95.0 fish/set). The average size of BLG sampled was 5.4 inches in length and 0.11 pounds (9.17 fish/lb). Only 1.9 percent of sampled BLG measured 7.0 inches or longer. Black Crappie (BLC) were sampled below median levels for abundance with the average fish captured being 7.3 inches and 0.22 pounds. Few Largemouth Bass (LMB) were captured, but all measured over 12 inches in length. Black Bullhead (BLB) abundance appears to be increasing, but only one fish was captured that measured more than 9.5 inches in length. ?

For more information on this lake, contact: Area Fisheries Supervisor 1200 Warner Rd St. Paul, MN 55106 Phone: (651) 259-5831 Internet: East Metro Fisheries E-Mail: MetroEast.Fisheries@state.mn.us	Lake maps can be obtained from: Minnesota Bookstore 660 Olive Street St. Paul, MN 55155 (651) 297-3000 or (800) 657-3757 To order, use C1322 for the map-id.
For general DNR Information, contact: DNR Information Center 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155-4040 TDD: (651) 296-6157 or (888) MINNDNR Internet: www.dnr.state.mn.us E-Mail: info.dnr@state.mn.us	Turn in Poachers (TIP): Toll-free: (800) 652-9093