Big Birch Lake

Todd County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 77008400

DNR records show 15 stocking entries at Big Birch Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (1,900,000 fish).

• Big Birch Lake has 15 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (15).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 10,532,446 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 81 ft, mean depth 28 ft; surface area 2,107 acres, 642 littoral acres, 15.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.1 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, and 6 more.
• 5 public accesses on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: August 19, 2025 (targeted survey).
• Todd County, nearest town Grey Eagle; DNR lake number (DOW) 77008400.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/7/1980 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

¹ fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. ² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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.

Big Birch Lake is a 2,107 acre lake located near Grey Eagle, Minnesota. The lake consists of an upper and lower basin, has 15.25 miles of shoreline, a maximum depth of 81 feet, and a littoral area of 642 acres. Primary management species on Big Birch Lake are Northern Pike and Walleye while secondary species include Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass. Night electrofishing in fall has been used to evaluate the success of natural reproduction or spring Walleye fry stocking. A spring stocking of 1,900,000 Walleye fry occurred on May 13, 2025. Prior years in the fall young of the year Walleye assessments were conducted utilizing one hour of on time. On time was increased to two hours beginning in 2020 as Big Birch Lake is included in a research study to assess the impacts of zebra mussels on Walleye recruitment. In fall 2025, electrofishing efforts were performed to evaluate fry stocking success. Fourteen young of the year Walleye were captured in 1.75 hours of sampling effort (8/hour). Historically, fall electrofishing catch rates have ranged from 0.0/hour (1994, 2019, 2020, 2023, and 2024) to 74.5/hour (2011) with a median of 16.1/hour. Young of the year Walleye fall electrofishing catch rates typically correlate well with future Walleye year class strength. Typically, fall catch rates above 35 YWAE per hour indicate good future year classes (greater than 2.0/gill net in standard surveys) whereas lower catch rates predict poorer year classes. A total of 24 yearling to adult Walleye ranged from 8.74 to 24.69 inches were captured for a catch rate of 13.7/hour. Due to low fall young of the year Walleye electrofishing catches since 2019, Walleye fry will continue to be stocked in odd numbered years , but fingerlings will be added in the fall. In even years, 642 pounds of Walleye fingerlings will be stocked by DNR, and an option will be given to the lake group to purchase an additional 642 pounds from a private producer. It is hoped that this strategy will help maintain the Walleye population at a level consistent with management goals. It is important to note that a recent infestation of Zebra Mussels may impact future Walleye populations by impacting productivity in the lake. Big Birch Lake has been included in important ongoing research to determine potential impacts of Zebra Mussels on Walleye populations in lakes in Minnesota. Other species commonly observed during sampling included Black Crappie, Bluegill, Bowfin, Brook Silverside, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, and Common Carp.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, August 19, 2025.

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