Big Pine Lake (Aitkin County)
Aitkin County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 01015700
DNR records show 10 stocking entries at Big Pine Lake (Aitkin County) since 2016, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (6,940 fish).
- Big Pine Lake (Aitkin County) has 10 DNR stocking records across 10 years (2016-2025): walleye (10).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 61,898 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 78 ft; surface area 638 acres, 259 littoral acres, 6.4 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 16.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, and 4 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Aitkin County, nearest town Cutler; DNR lake number (DOW) 01015700.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/19/1941 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,940 | 257.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | yearlings | 5,161 | 258.9 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 6,969 | 258.6 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,252 | 259.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,132 | 259.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,650 | 230.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,512 | 259.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,657 | 259.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 9,583 | 259.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 8,042 | 518.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 | - The state owned public access; with cement log ramp; is on the south side of the lake in Section 29. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 3.33 | 40 | 0.08 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 2.75 | 33 | 0.38 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 2.50 | 30 | 0.76 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.25 | 27 | 2.51 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 1.92 | 23 | 0.24 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.08 | 13 | 1.75 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.75 | 9 | 0.14 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 6 | 0.88 |
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 Pine Lake is a moderately clear water lake located in southwestern Aitkin County and is part of the Mille Lacs/Rum River watershed. There is a state-owned public access located on the south side of the lake. Big Pine Lake has a variety of habitats available to the angler from open, wind-swept gravel and rock to areas of heavy vegetation. Shorelines vary from areas with gentle slopes and shallow depths to areas with sharp drop-offs and deep water. Mid-water areas consist primarily of deep water, but there are several gravel bars with steep sides that rise to within a few feet of the surface. With the relatively recent observation of Zebra Mussels in Big Pine (2018), there is also uncertainty in changes to the ecology of the system as they become more abundant and so we encourage boaters and lake shore owners to follow good practices to prevent movement of Zebra Mussels out of the system. This targeted survey, employing only gill nets, was conducted to help evaluate the current Walleye stocking strategy. Gamefish species available to anglers include Walleye, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Bluegill and Largemouth Bass. Though there are some favorable spawning areas for Walleye, and minimal natural reproduction has been observed, historically the better year classes have been those supplemented by stocking. Walleye have been stocked with varying success in Big Pine Lake since the early 1900's and is currently managed with annual fingerling stocking. Prior to the 2024 survey, Walleye gill net catch rates were stable, averaging between 3.4 and 5.3 Walleye per gill net since 2011. The Walleye catch rate decreased substantially in 2024, dropping to a rate of only 1.1 per gill net. This rate was well below the management goal of 5 per gill net and near the bottom of the interquartile range for lakes of this class. The mean length of Walleye captured was 17.4 inches, with fish ranging from 12.6 to 21.3 inches. Captured Walleye ranged from 2 to 8 years old, with five year classes present. This met the management goal of at least three year classes present in the sample. Growth rates of Walleye improved slightly from the two most recent surveys, reaching lengths of just under 15 inches by age 4, which was similar to county and statewide averages. The gillnet catch rate for Northern Pike was 2.3 per net, which was slightly below the long-term average of 3.4 per net, spanning 14 surveys back to 1956. This is normal for this lake type and meets the current management goal of 2 to 6 per net. A more compressed size structure was observed in 2024, compared to…
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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