1509 1st Avenue North
Fergus Falls, MN 56537
218-739-7576
[email protected]
Anglers who fish in the Otter Tail and Wilkin county area benefit from the management, habitat and oversight work of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Fergus Falls area fisheries staff.
Area Fisheries Supervisor Jim Wolters and a staff of five full-time and six part-time employees manage 250 fishing lakes and 150 miles of majo
r rivers and smaller streams. These waters include popular fishing destinations such as Otter Tail, Big Pine and North Lida lakes. Area staff also manage portions of the Otter Tail, Pelican and Red rivers.
- What we do
At work for you
Collecting muskellunge at night from a local lake to estimate the adult population.
- Annually operate a walleye spawn-take operation that collects roughly 60 million eggs; a seasonal hatchery to produce approximately 40 million walleye fry; and 20 rearing ponds producing approximately 10,000 pounds of walleye fingerlings for stocking regional lakes.
- Conducting approximately 25 lake surveys and several special assessments annually to evaluate population status and response to management activities and/or special regulations.
- Cooperating with lake associations, sports clubs and other resource users using outreach in preparing approximately 16-20 lake/stream management plans per year.
- Coordinating Red River Fisheries management activities with the states of South Dakota, North Dakota and the Province of Manitoba.
- Area highlights
- Stocking - Check the LakeFinder
- Surveys - Check the LakeFinder
- Area staff
Contact our Fergus Falls staff
Name
Position
Phone
Email
Jim Wolters Area supervisor 218-739-7576 [email protected] Howard Fullhart Assistant area supervisor 218-739-7576 [email protected] Steve Kubeny Fisheries specialist 218-739-7576 [email protected] Mike Nelson Fisheries technician 218-739-7576 [email protected] Luke Schalekamp Fisheries specialist 218-739-7576 [email protected] Marnie Franze Office administrative specialist 218-739-7576 [email protected]