North Lida

North Lida Lake is a 5,564-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in northwestern Otter Tail County approximately five miles east of Pelican Rapids, MN. North Lida Lake is connected to South Lida Lake by a navigable culvert under State Highway 108 along the south shoreline. North Lida Lake is also connected to Lizzie Lake via a non-navigable culvert under County Road 4. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 58 feet; however, 43% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2024 survey was 11.5 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 6.0 to 14.5 feet. A majority of the shoreline on North Lida Lake has been developed. Homes, cottages, and resorts compose the majority of the development. A DNR owned concrete public water access is located off of County Road 4 along the north shoreline. Large stands of hardstem bulrush are scattered throughout the lake. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush 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. Harvest regulations for Walleye, crappie, and sunfish are implemented on North Lida Lake. The Walleye regulation is a 17.0 to 26.0 inch protected slot length limit with one fish over 26.0 inches allowed in possession. The crappie regulation is an 11-inch minimum length limit. A reduced daily bag limit regulation for sunfish (10 per day) was implemented in 2022. The intent of these regulations is to maintain the size structures of these populations. A special gill netting survey was conducted in 2024 to analyze the Walleye and Northern Pike populations. The general trend in recent gill netting assessments has been a declining Walleye abundance. Walleyes ranged in length from 8.1 to 23.4 inches with an average length and weight of 16.4 inches and 1.6 pounds. Walleyes attain an average length of 13.6 inches at four years of age. Northern Pike abundance has remained stable at a moderate density. Northern Pike reproduction has continued to be consistently good. Northern Pike ranged in length from 10.2 to 27.6 inches with an average length and weight of 17.8 inches and 1.2 pounds. Pike attain an average length of 23.8 inches at five years of age. The DNR and the Lida Lakes Association have been involved in several cooperative projects designed to improve and protect water quality and fish habitat. In 1998, a shoreline stabilization project was completed. Rock rip-rap was used to stabilize several areas of shoreline that were experiencing varying degrees of erosion. In 1997, 160 Smallmouth Bass nesting structures were constructed and placed in North Lida Lake. These structures help Smallmouth Bass reproduce more successfully. Anglers can also 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. North Lida Lake was listed as infested with zebra mussels in 2014. Aquatic invasive species are threatening Minnesota waters. Aquatic invasive species can potentially harm water quality, water recreation, aquatic habitat, native species, and fish populations. Anglers can help prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species by following watercraft transportation laws.

North Lida Lake is a 5,564-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in northwestern Otter Tail County approximately five miles east of Pelican Rapids, MN. North Lida Lake is connected to South Lida Lake by a navigable culvert under State Highway 108 along the south shoreline. North Lida Lake is also connected to Lizzie Lake via a non-navigable culvert under County Road 4. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 58 feet; however, 43% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Historical secchi disk readings have ranged from 6.0 to 14.5 feet. A majority of the shoreline on North Lida Lake has been developed. Homes, cottages, and resorts compose the majority of the development. A DNR owned concrete public water access is located off of County Road 4 along the north shoreline. Large stands of hardstem bulrush are scattered throughout the lake. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat, and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms and can 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. A reduced daily bag limit regulation for sunfish (10 per day) was implemented in 2022. The objective of the regulation is to maintain the quality of the Bluegill size structure. The 2024 spring trap netting survey was conducted to collect data on the Bluegill population, which will be used for regulation evaluation purposes in future surveys. The Bluegill population is extremely abundant and has a quality size structure. Age data indicate that Bluegill reproduction is consistently good. Fifty-eight percent of the Bluegill sample was 7.0 inches or greater in length, while 10% was 8.0 inches or greater in length. Bluegills attain an average length of 8.3 inches at eight years of age. Harvest regulations for Walleye and Black Crappie are also implemented on North Lida Lake. The Walleye regulation is a 17.0 to 26.0 inch protected slot length limit with one fish over 26.0 inches allowed in possession. The Black Crappie regulation is an 11-inch minimum length limit. The intent of these regulations is to maintain the size structures of these populations. Anglers can also 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. North Lida Lake was listed as infested with zebra mussels in 2014. Aquatic invasive species are threatening Minnesota waters. Aquatic invasive species can potentially harm water quality, water recreation, aquatic habitat, native species, and fish populations. Anglers can help prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species by following watercraft transportation laws.

North Lida Lake is a 5,564-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in northwestern Otter Tail County approximately five miles east of Pelican Rapids, MN. North Lida Lake is connected to South Lida Lake by a navigable culvert under State Highway 108 along the south shoreline. North Lida Lake is also connected to Lizzie Lake via a non-navigable culvert under County Road 4. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth is 58 feet; however, 43% of the lake is 15 feet or less in depth. Historical secchi disk readings have ranged from 6.0 to 14.5 feet. A majority of the shoreline on North Lida Lake has been developed. Homes, cottages, and resorts compose the majority of the development. A DNR owned concrete public water access is located off of County Road 4 along the north shoreline. Large stands of hardstem bulrush are scattered throughout the lake. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms and 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. An 11.0-inch minimum length limit for Black Crappie was implemented in 1997 to improve and maintain the size structure of the Black Crappie population. Catch and length data from ensuing special spring surveys indicate that the regulation improved size structure and is now maintaining a high-quality Black Crappie population. In this survey, Black Crappies ranged in length from 7.1 to 13.0 inches with an average length of 10.6 inches. Forty-five percent of the crappies were 11.0 inches or greater in length. Age data indicate that Black Crappie reproduction is consistently good. Black Crappies attain an average length of 10.2 inches at five years of age. Anglers can also 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. North Lida Lake was listed as infested with zebra mussels in 2014. Aquatic invasive species are threatening Minnesota waters. Aquatic invasive species can potentially harm water quality, water recreation, aquatic habitat, native species, and fish populations. Anglers can help prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species by following watercraft transportation laws.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Hybrid Sunfish, Black Crappie, and Walleye in North Lida. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for North Lida. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

North Lida has a maximum depth of 58 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in North Lida is from 2024.

Yes — North Lida has confirmed zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.

Yes — the 2026 Minnesota DNR regulations list 3 special rules for North Lida, covering black and white crappie, sunfish, and walleye. Special regulations override the statewide limits; see the fishing regulations section on this page. Verify current rules with the Minnesota DNR before keeping fish.