Big Cormorant Lake
Becker County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 03057600
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Big Cormorant Lake since 2021, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (812,471 fish).
- Big Cormorant Lake has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2021-2024): walleye (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 2,437,079 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 75 ft; surface area 3,657 acres, 812 littoral acres, 18.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 18.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, and 4 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Becker County, nearest town Audubon; DNR lake number (DOW) 03057600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/21/1975 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 812,471 | 7.7 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 812,046 | 7.3 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 406,562 | 3.6 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 406,000 | 3.5 |
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| asphalt ramp | Minnesota DNR | NE shore off Co. Rd. 6. Within section 7. |
| asphalt ramp | Minnesota DNR | NW shore off Co. Rd. 5. Within section 11. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 20.92 | 251 | 0.41 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 19.50 | 234 | 0.10 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 16.42 | 197 | 0.41 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 14.42 | 173 | 1.18 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 6.83 | 82 | 3.07 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard gill nets | 6.00 | 72 | 1.65 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.92 | 35 | 0.38 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.25 | 15 | 0.64 |
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 Cormorant is a 3,657-acre lake located in southwestern Becker County. It is well-suited to Walleyes, which were reportedly introduced during the early part of the 20th century. A targeted fisheries survey using 12 gill nets was completed in August 2025 to assess the Walleye population of Big Cormorant Lake. Gill nets are also the standard sampling gear for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch, providing a secondary opportunity to utilize survey data on these game species. Walleye catch rates remained relatively stable (approximately 20 Walleye per gill net) in Big Cormorant Lake until 2014. Beginning with the 2014 survey, catch rates have consistently fallen below the lake's historic average catch rate of 20.7 Walleye per gill net and reached a historic low of ten Walleye per gill net in 2022. In 2025, the Walleye catch rate was 14.4 Walleye per gill net which decreased from the 2024 catch rate of 17.4 Walleye per net. The average length of a Walleye was 14 inches and the longest Walleye measured was 23 inches. Walleyes were sampled from 17 different ages with fish as old as 20 years collected. Young fish were most abundant, with fish four years old or less making up 77% of the sample. Fish that were 14 years old also showed up in better numbers than would be expected. The Northern Pike gill net catch in Big Cormorant Lake has remained stable since the 2002 survey and the 2025 catch rate of 6.8 pike per net was no exception. The average length of Northern Pike surveyed in 2025 was 23 inches and the longest was 35.5 inches. About 39% of the pike sampled were over 24 inches. The Yellow Perch catch rate of 19.5 per gill net was the fifth highest recorded for the lake and continues a trend of above average numbers for the lake. Perch averaged 6.6 inches and the longest was 9.6 inches. Smallmouth Bass gill net catch rate increased to six bass per net from 3.3 per net observed in the 2024 survey. Smallmouth Bass averaged 14.1 inches with fish up to 19.2 inches caught. A fair number of Bluegills were caught in gill nets. Bluegill averaged eight inches long and measured up to 9.7 inches. Of interest for anglers, 64% of the Bluegills caught were over eight inches. Rock Bass abundance returned to more normal levels in 2025, with gill nets capturing an average of 21 fish per net. Rock Bass averaged eight inches and the longest was 11 inches. Anglers have a good opportunity to harvest Rock Bass as 58% of the fish sampled were over eight inches. Other species sampled were Brown and Yellow Bullhead, Black Crappie, hybrid sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, and…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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