Big Lake (Sherburne County)
Sherburne County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 71008200
DNR records show 14 stocking entries at Big Lake (Sherburne County) since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2025 (235 fish).
- Big Lake (Sherburne County) has 14 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (14).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 10,951 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 48 ft, mean depth 18 ft; surface area 254 acres, 110 littoral acres, 2.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Sherburne County, nearest town Big Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 71008200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/2/1957 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 235 | 107.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,405 | 145.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 2,700 | 120.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 3,300 | 110.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | adults | 170 | 173.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | yearlings | 2 | 2.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 254 | 12.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 315 | 21.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | adults | 123 | 175.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 1,510 | 200.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 300 | 100.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 200 | 100.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 62 | 18.5 |
| 2016 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 375 | 25.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | city | - There is a city owned access at the park on the southwest corner of the lake. A fee is charged for park use and boat access. |
DNR fish survey, 2017
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 49.64 | 60 | 0.93 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 19.33 | 116 | 0.60 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 9.17 | 55 | 1.81 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 8.67 | 52 | 0.16 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 4.50 | 27 | 1.70 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 4.33 | 26 | 0.23 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 3.50 | 21 | 0.17 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 16 | 0.22 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.50 | 15 | 1.05 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 9.78 | 88 | 0.07 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 2.11 | 19 | 0.19 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.44 | 13 | 0.77 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.12 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.36 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 3 | 0.06 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 1.27 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.81 |
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 Lake is a 251 acre lake located in Sherburne County within the city limits of Big Lake. It is connected to Mitchell Lake via a navigable channel. Big Lake has a maximum depth of 48 feet and a small watershed primarily composed of development, open water, and row crops. A city owned public access is located at the southwest corner of the lake near Highway 10. Big Lake is primarily managed for Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike and was last surveyed in 2004. Anglers can expect good fishing for Walleye, Northern Pike, and Largemouth Bass. No emergent or floating leaf vegetation was found in the current survey. Submerged vegetation is widespread and was surveyed in 2009; chara was the dominant species, followed by curly leaf pondweed, coontail, bushy pondweed, and northern water milfoil. Water clarity was good; Secchi depth was 12.5 feet in late July and MPCA data show a summer average of 10 feet over the last ten years. Dissolved oxygen was adequate to support fish to 21 feet in late July. Northern Pike numbers were above the expected range of values for lakes similar to Big Lake, but lower than 2004. Most pike were small; only 11% were 24 inches or longer, compared to 17% in 2004. Lengths ranged from 12.1 to 26.7 inches with an average length and weight of 20.5 inches and 1.9 pounds. Largemouth Bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing on May 19. The catch rate of 50/hr. was near the Sauk Rapids area daytime average of 43/hour. Lengths ranged from 4.7 to 18.3 inches with an average length of 11.1 inches. Of catchable size fish (>8 inches), 16% were 15 inches or longer. Walleye were stocked intermittently through 1997, but were not stocked between 1997 and 2014. Since 2014, fingerling or larger Walleye have been stocked annually by either the DNR or the lake association. The Walleye catch in 2017 was within the expected range of values for similar lakes and higher than 2004. Lengths ranged from 6.4 to 21.4 inches with an average length and weight of 16.3 inches and 1.7 pounds. Walleye ages ranged from two to four years old and growth was fast, reaching 15 inches in three years. The Bluegill catch was lower than 2004, but within the expected range of values for similar lakes. Lengths ranged from 2.8 to 8.3 inches with an average length of 5.1 inches. Targeted sampling using trap nets was conducted in late May to better assess Bluegill numbers and size. The Bluegill catch rate was higher than the standard survey and the average size was longer (5.9 inches), but the percentage of fish eight inches or longer was the same (1% in both surveys). Black…
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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