Lake Sixteen in Otter Tail County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Lake Sixteen in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. What surrounds it is mixed forest. It runs to roughly 89 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The full circuit measures close to 1.7 miles on foot. The closest town, Parkers Prairie, is 9.3 miles distant. The big place round here is Fargo, 76 miles distant. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lake Sixteen

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Otter Tail County include largemouth bass, black crappie and walleye. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Lake Sixteen gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 69°F on average, January about 7°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lake Sixteen.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Parking is mapped about half a mile from the bank. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Snow Lakes, 2.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Lake Sixteen for certain.