That Cotton Lake light hits different. Caught this last night off our dock on the east shore. Can someone please tell me what camera lens nature is using because I'd like to buy one 😂
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Your annual dues fund fish stocking, water testing, weed harvest, AIS prevention, and the events that make summer here what it is. Membership runs May to May.
One flat dues for every lakeshore home, friend, and supporter. Funds fish stocking, water testing, weed harvest, AIS prevention, and the events that make summer here what it is.
Members fund the fish. Each fall, the Association partners with the Minnesota DNR's Detroit Lakes hatchery to release walleye fingerlings into Cotton Lake. The 2026 goal is 18,000 fish — every $25 stocks roughly 100 fingerlings.
1,763 acres. 13 miles of shoreline. A clear‑water walleye fishery, twelve miles east of Detroit Lakes. The Cotton Lake Association exists so the next generation gets the same lake we did — quiet, clean, and full of fish.
We're a volunteer‑run, non‑profit group of lakeshore owners and friends. Membership dues and store revenue go straight to the lake — fish stocking, water testing, weed harvest, AIS prevention, the events. Not to overhead.
If you've owned property here for a while, you've already enjoyed the work. Becoming a member is how that work keeps happening.
Become a member →From the Lions Club ice‑fishing tournament in February to the Boat Parade on the Fourth and the Annual Bonfire in October — the events below are the rhythm of summer here. Members register free.
Jump to the schedule →The biggest winter event on Cotton Lake. Hosted by the Lions Club — drill a hole, drop a line, win prizes. Proceeds support local Lions causes and lake stewardship.
Annual community day at the public access. Coffee, donuts, and a couple hundred trash bags. Bring waders if you've got them.
Pancake breakfast at the East Bay pavilion the morning of the Minnesota walleye opener. $8 plate, members eat free.
The headline event of the year. Decorate your pontoon, hoist the flag, and circle the lake with the fleet. Trophies for best in show, most patriotic, and worst pun. Fireworks over the south basin at dusk.
$30 entry, $1,000 first place, all proceeds to fish stocking. Weigh‑in at the public access pier from 4–6 PM.
Watch DNR tankers release walleye fingerlings at the public access. Steward‑level members ride along for the open‑water release.
Year‑end financials, board elections, and a bonfire on the south shore. Cider, brats, and the big projector for the lake survey results.
Cotton Lake belongs to the people who live on it. Tag your favorite shots in the Facebook group, and we'll pull the best of them into the homepage gallery.
Tees, hats, hoodies, and a few sundries — printed locally in Detroit Lakes on heavyweight blanks. Every item funds the lake. Members get 10–20% off at checkout.