Big McDonald Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56038601
DNR records show 13 stocking entries at Big McDonald Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (4,250 fish).
- Big McDonald Lake has 13 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (13).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 41,342 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 46 ft; surface area 992 acres, 368 littoral acres, 5.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 13.0 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, rock bass, and 3 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Perham; DNR lake number (DOW) 56038601.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 4,250 | 250.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fingerlings | 4,427 | 500.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 5,500 | 250.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 8,212 | 368.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 996 | 249.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | yearlings | 792 | 131.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye | adults | 212 | 213.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 5,800 | 290.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 8,249 | 383.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 68 | 17.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 484 | 309.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fingerlings | 576 | 36.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | adults | 1,776 | 842.0 |
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 | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 17.11 | 154 | 0.83 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 14.56 | 131 | 1.45 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 13.33 | 120 | 0.30 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 9.67 | 87 | 1.97 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 3.11 | 28 | 0.34 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 27 | 0.85 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 2.33 | 21 | 0.52 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.55 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 10.25 | 123 | 0.28 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 1.75 | 21 | 0.32 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 20 | 1.21 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 20 | 0.53 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.83 | 10 | 3.25 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 9 | 0.23 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 8 | 0.98 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.58 | 7 | 0.45 |
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 McDonald Lake is a 935-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in north-central Otter Tail County approximately nine miles west of Perham, MN. Big McDonald Lake is located within the Otter Tail River Watershed. The immediate watershed is primarily composed of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. Big McDonald Lake is connected to McDonald (Schwartz) Lake by a navigable channel located along the southeast shoreline. An unnavigable outlet is located along the south shoreline of the lake and connects Big McDonald Lake with Round Lake. Big McDonald Lake has a maximum depth of 46 feet; however, 39% of the lake is less than 15 feet in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2025 survey was 15.0 feet. Previous secchi disk readings ranged from 9.0 to 14.9 feet. The north and west shorelines of Big McDonald Lake have been extensively developed. Homes, cottages, and resorts compose the development. A DNR owned concrete public water access is located off of County Road 35 along the northwest shoreline of the lake. Shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Large stands of hardstem bulrush are located along the west, south, and east shorelines. Areas of common cattail and wild rice are also scattered along the southwest shoreline. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush, cattail, and wild rice provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat, and are critical for maintaining good water quality. Emergent plants provide spawning areas for fish such as Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and panfish. They also serve as important nursery areas for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. To maintain the excellent water quality and angling that this lake has to offer, it is imperative to preserve the quality of the aquatic habitat. Big McDonald Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish-Walleye type of lake, and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Walleye, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, and Bluegill are the dominant gamefish species present. The Walleye population continues to be abundant. Several strong year classes are present and should provide good Walleye angling for several years. Walleye ranged in length from 8.7 to 25.9 inches with an average length and weight of 17.9 inches and 2.0 pounds. MN DNR Fisheries maintains the Walleye population at a viable level by stocking Walleye fingerlings on an every-other-year basis. Walleyes exhibit excellent growth rates with an average length of 15.4 inches at…
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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