Big Bass (east basin) Lake
Beltrami County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 04013202
DNR records show 10 stocking entries at Big Bass (east basin) Lake since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2024 (451 fish).
- Big Bass (east basin) Lake has 10 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2024): walleye (10).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 29,707 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 17 ft, mean depth 9 ft; surface area 337 acres, 315 littoral acres, 3.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 7.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Beltrami County, nearest town Lavinia (Beltrami); DNR lake number (DOW) 04013202.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | yearlings | 451 | 212.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 846 | 201.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | adults | 444 | 74.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 7,159 | 242.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,725 | 309.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 10,038 | 315.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 84 | 42.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,769 | 245.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 203 | 91.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 988 | 26.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | State owned concrete ramp- 8 unit parking- south end of the lake. - South end of lake off of Tall Pines Road. Eight unit parking. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard electrofishing | 291.89 | 258 | 0.08 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
In spring 2021, a daily bag limit reduction for sunfish (5 fish/day) was implemented on Big Bass Lake as part of the statewide Quality Sunfish Initiative (QSI). The goal of this special regulation is to maintain or improve Bluegill size structure by reducing angler harvest. In order to evaluate effectiveness of the regulation, Bluegill populations on many QSI lakes are periodically assessed. Primary data of interest include size structure metrics as well as age structure and growth information. Because age and growth data were recorded recently for Big Bass in 2020, these data were not collected in 2024. On May 20, 2024, night electrofishing was conducted on Big Bass Lake. Surface water temperatures were in the low sixties, and Bluegill was the only species collected. Areas sampled are shown in Figure 1. During 53 minutes of shocking, 258 Bluegill were captured, resulting in a catch rate of 291.9 fish/hour. Lengths ranged from 2.4 to 7.2 inches with an average size of 4.7 inches. No fish were larger than eight inches. In 2020, average length was better at 5.7 inches and fish larger than eight inches were present.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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