At a time when anglers are debating if advanced underwater sonar technology is wrecking the sanctity of fishing, wetting a line on Annie Battle Lake is becoming more of a throwback than ever.

Nestled inside Glendalough State Park in Otter Tail County, this deep and clear 334-acre lake is set aside by the Department of Natural Resources as a haven of old-time fishing. All motors and electronics are banned. During ice fishing season, powered augers also are prohibited.

On Annie Battle, you’ll find your fish with the help of a canoe, kayak or rowboat. Is live bait allowed? Yes, but if you’re fishing for the lake’s prized crappies and bluegills, you can only keep up to five – not the statewide standard limit of 10. Largemouth bass, another protected species in the lake, must be released immediately after catching (and photographing).

“I think a lake like Annie Battle is becoming more of a treasure,’’ said Erik Osberg, an Otter Tail County employee and chairman of the 2021 Governor’s Fishing Opener. “You’re not driving around, looking at a screen. It’s a place where we can all go to experience fishing the way our ancestors did.’’

Glendalough State Park Director Jeff Wiersma said the so-called heritage fishery was something of an experiment when it opened to the public in 1997 with its non-motorized, non-”aqua view’’ regulations. It’s one of two such lakes in Minnesota, the other: Black Bass Lake at Mille Lacs Kathio State Park, he said.

“It was experimental in the beginning, but Annie has been a huge success story,’’ Wiersma said. “I get lots of people who say there should be more lakes like this.’’

Encircled by natural shorelines and a 3.2-mile walking path free of private development, the lake attracts serious crappie anglers in May and June and an abundance of families throughout the summer who enjoy wake-free swimming, boating and fishing. Walleyes inhabit Annie Battle, but only in light density. Anglers also target bluegills and northern pike.