Big Deep Lake
Cass County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 11027700
DNR records show 2 stocking entries at Big Deep Lake since 2019, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2022 (2,080 fish).
- Big Deep Lake has 2 DNR stocking records across 2 years (2019-2022): walleye (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 4,580 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 107 ft; surface area 536 acres, 48 littoral acres, 5.0 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Cass County, nearest town Hackensack; DNR lake number (DOW) 11027700.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,080 | 117.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,500 | 100.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| O | UKN | - NONE DEEP PORTAGE RESERVE BORDERS LAKE IN SEC 31 32. |
DNR fish survey, 1995
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 15.00 | 135 | 1.27 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.56 | 23 | 0.63 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.56 | 14 | 3.15 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 1.56 | 14 | 0.18 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.41 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.15 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.44 | 13 | 2.61 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.47 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 9.78 | 88 | 0.15 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.89 | 17 | 0.23 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.43 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.17 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.61 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.16 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.30 |
| Smallmouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 0.10 |
| Yellow perch | Survey seining | 3.75 | 15 | 0.01 |
| PLS | Survey seining | 2.50 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Smallmouth bass | Survey seining | 1.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Logperch | Survey seining | 0.75 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Survey seining | 0.25 | 1 | 0.18 |
| Bluegill | Survey seining | 0.25 | 1 | 0.16 |
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 Deep Lake is a 484 acre lake with a maximum depth of 107 feet. It is located six miles east of Hackensack in northern Cass County. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types, based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Big Deep Lake is in Lake Class 23. Other area lakes in this same class include Baby (located two miles north of Big Deep Lake), Deep Portage (located six miles northeast of Backus), Hay (located ten miles northeast of Backus), and Stony (located two miles northeast of Hackensack) Lakes. There is no public access on the lake and the only resort is on the north side of lake.An abundant northern pike population exists in Big Deep Lake. The average-size of sampled northern pike was 17.0 inches and weighed 1.3 pounds. Some northern pike larger than 28 inches were sampled. Growth was slow when compared to other area class 23 lakes.Walleye were sampled at a rate typical of other area class 23 lakes. The average-size of sampled walleye was 19 inches and weighed 2.7 pounds. It appears that some portion of the walleye population is immigrating from other lakes by way of the Boy River. Sampled walleye were growing at a good rate when compared to class 23 lakes.The bluegill that were sampled showed good quality with 19% of the sample larger than 7 inches. Quality has declined since 1972 when it was reported that 61% of the sample was larger than 7 inches. The growth rate for bluegill was slow. Six inch bluegill averaged eight years old.As in previous years, low numbers of black crappie and largemouth bass were sampled. Summer netting often does not sample these species relative to their abundance.Other fish sampled include yellow perch, pumpkinseed, rock bass, yellow bullhead, brown bullhead, black bullhead, and white sucker. Muskellunge have also been reported in Big Deep.To help maintain quality fish populations in Big Deep Lake, lake users should safeguard aquatic habitat by preserving or reestablishing aquatic plants and natural shorelines. Aquatic and terrestrial plants provide food and cover for fish and wildlife. They also help protect shorelines from erosion, and absorb nutrients and pollutants. Natural shorelines, shorelines that have not been altered by man, help protect a lake from silt-laden runoff water. They also provide excellent places for wildlife to feed, hide, and raise their young. Protection of the larger watershed that drains into Big Deep Lake is also needed for maintaining water quality.Anglers can help maintain or improve the quality fishing by…
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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