Big Fish Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 73010600
DNR records show 8 stocking entries at Big Fish Lake since 2017, most recently walleye yearlings in 2025 (100 fish).
- Big Fish Lake has 8 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2017-2025): walleye (8).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 36,682 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 70 ft, mean depth 26 ft; surface area 557 acres, 184 littoral acres, 5.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.0 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, walleye, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Stearns County, nearest town Cold Spring; DNR lake number (DOW) 73010600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/5/1969 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 100 | 80.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 28 | 26.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | fingerlings | 4,113 | 389.5 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 10,672 | 368.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 11,210 | 382.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 8,736 | 424.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,023 | 44.5 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 800 | 545.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | A state-owned access is located on the northwest side of lake off of Big Fish Lake Rd. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 31.64 | 64 | 1.08 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 21.00 | 189 | 0.20 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 13.44 | 121 | 0.57 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 6.56 | 59 | 1.20 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 6.44 | 58 | 0.67 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 4.44 | 40 | 0.31 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 3.22 | 29 | 0.15 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.33 | 21 | 0.44 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 2.22 | 20 | 1.29 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 5.78 | 52 | 0.19 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.89 | 17 | 0.23 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.60 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 6 | 0.15 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.78 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 1.05 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.33 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 1.52 |
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 Fish Lake, located five miles north of Cold Spring in central Stearns County, is a scenic, clear water lake that offers a variety of angling and recreational opportunities. It has a maximum depth of 70 feet and a small watershed with a high percentage of undeveloped forest and grassland and a modest amount of cultivated farmland. A public access is located on the north side of the lake with space for 24 vehicle/trailers. The lake supports a diverse aquatic plant community that provides important fish habitat as well as shoreline protection from erosion. Some of the more common submergent plant species include: coontail, northern watermilfoil, flatstem pondweed, water celery, and Canada waterweed. Emergent and floating leaf vegetation was found along 17% of the shoreline with cattail and white waterlily being the most common species. In 2025, the water quality of Big Fish Lake was good with clarity of 12 feet during the first week of August. Anglers can expect plenty of action for small Bluegill and Northern Pike, excellent Largemouth Bass fishing, as well as the potential for quality sized Black Crappie and Walleye. Northern Pike are abundant in Big Fish Lake and the population is mainly made up of smaller individuals. The gill net catch of pike was the lowest it has been since 2002, but is still consistent with lakes like Big Fish Lake. The net catch of Walleye in 2025 was less than half the expected rate for similar lakes but was similar to 2020. Walleye ranged in length from 15 to 24 inches with an average length and weight of 18 inches and 2 pounds. Walleye growth was faster than the statewide average, reaching an average of 16 inches in three years. The Largemouth Bass catch rate was lower than the Sauk Rapids Area target for daytime electrofishing, but is difficult to compare to previous surveys because those surveys were conducted at night. Fish caught ranged in length from 6 to 18 inches with an average length of 12 inches. The trap net catch of Bluegill in 2025 was less than in 2020, but the gill net catch was over two times higher than 2020. Bluegill ranged in length from 4 to 8 inches with an average length of 7 inches. Only 1% of Bluegill sampled were over 8 inches in length, continuing the trend of plentiful smaller bluegill. Black Crappies have historically been sampled in low numbers, and this survey was no different. The trap net catch in 2025 was the same as the previous survey in 2020, but the gill net catch was less than 2020. Although few were sampled, quality fish up to 12 inches were observed. Other species sampled during the…
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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