Big Lake (Todd County)
Todd County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 77006300
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Big Lake (Todd County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (150,000 fish).
- Big Lake (Todd County) has 7 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2024): walleye (7).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 604,566 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 21 ft; surface area 297 acres, 166 littoral acres, 3.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, 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).
- Todd County, nearest town Cushing; DNR lake number (DOW) 77006300.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/27/1960 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 150,000 | 1.3 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 150,000 | 1.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 150,000 | 1.4 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 150,000 | 1.3 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 4,205 | 157.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 336 | 21.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | yearlings | 25 | 5.0 |
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 | - Located on SE side of lake |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 59.20 | 74 | 1.03 |
| Black crappie | Standard electrofishing | 14.40 | 18 | 0.41 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 20.78 | 187 | 0.23 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 6.00 | 54 | 0.57 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 4.89 | 44 | 0.21 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 4.33 | 39 | 0.33 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 3.44 | 31 | 0.36 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.29 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 1.00 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 1.04 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 20.17 | 121 | 0.62 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 13.50 | 81 | 1.22 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 6.17 | 37 | 0.27 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 18 | 0.27 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 12 | 0.65 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 10 | 4.20 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 1.10 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.21 |
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.
In 2024, a fish survey was completed on Big Lake which included summer gill netting, summer trap netting, and daytime Largemouth Bass Electrofishing. An IBI (Index of Biotic Integrity) survey consisting of Backpack Electrofishing, and 15 foot-wide Siene hauls was also completed. The results and interpretation of IBI data collected in 2024 are provided in a separate report. Largemouth Bass in Big Lake have been relatively consistent in size structure and numbers since 2011, when daytime electrofishing was first introduced. Past daytime catch rates have ranged from 35 to 88 fish per hour with the 2024 catch falling near the middle of that range at 59.2/hour. The 2024 catch rate is considered quite typical for a central Minnesota lake. The average length in 2024 was 11.74 inches compared to a 10.92-inch average of all other surveys. The percent of fish caught over 15 inches was 9% with the largest measuring 18.4 inches. Northern Pike gill net catches continue to demonstrate substantial variation with the 2024 catch rate of 13.5/lift very near the record high of 13.7/lift found in 1999. Catch rates have recently been as low as the 5.3 per lift found in 2016. Northern Pike averaged just 17.2 inches long in 2024 which is smaller than most previous efforts though not unprecedented. Pike longer than 30 inches have been uncommon throughout the lake's gill net history, however a specimen measuring 34.45 inches was captured in 2024 and is the longest fish caught in any survey on Big Lake. Only 13% of pike collected in the gill nets in 2024 surpassed 21 inches providing further indication of a less than optimal size structure. Walleye gill net catches have been within the expected range since 1993 for lake's similar to Big Lake, including the 2024 catch of 1.67/lift. Fingerling stocking took place regularly through 2016 after which fry stocking was practiced. Based on aging information collected in 2024 fry stocking has failed to contribute to the Walleye population. All the Walleyes sampled in 2024 were Age 8 or older. It is apparent that fingerling stocking will be required to sustain the population. Big Lake is currently under a "surplus" stocking status which means it will only receive fingerlings when they are available after higher priority lakes are stocked. Black Crappie catches are often highly variable with low sample sizes typical during summer netting efforts. A total of 75 crappies were sampled when combining trap net, gill net, and electrofishing efforts in 2024. Thirty percent of the combined sample exceeded 9 inches long. The largest fish sampled…
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.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.