Big Pine Lake (Pine County)

Pine County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 58013800

DNR records show 16 stocking entries at Big Pine Lake (Pine County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (33,750 fish).

• Big Pine Lake (Pine County) has 16 DNR stocking records across 8 years (2016-2025): walleye (16).
• The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 120,830 fish on record.
• Maximum depth 25 ft, mean depth 15 ft; surface area 399 acres, 135 littoral acres, 5.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
• Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.9 ft.
• Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
• 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
• Most recent DNR fish survey: October 30, 2025 (targeted survey).
• Pine County, nearest town Finlayson; DNR lake number (DOW) 58013800.

Depth map

Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/5/1966 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

¹ fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. ² fish purchased by the DNR for stocking. ⁴ fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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 387-acre lake in northwestern Pine County located eleven miles northwest of Sandstone and is within the Kettle River Watershed. The lake has a maximum depth of 25 ft and 35% of the lake is 15 feet or less (135 littoral acres). It is a steep sided narrow basin that lies in a northeast/southwest direction. Walleye fry were stocked into Big Pine Lake on May 2, 2025. The stocking rate was 250 fry per littoral acre (250*135) which equals 33,750 fry. This stocking rate has occurred annually since 2023. The fry were LMS (Lower Mississippi Strain), a local genetic strain sourced from the Knife River in April. Stocking the LMS strain fry was initiated in 2023. Walleye fingerlings are also stocked in even-numbered years at a rate of 1.3 pounds per littoral acre (176 pounds), which was initiated in 2018. Fingerlings have the MIS genetic strain (Mississippi River). Big Pine Lake was electrofished on the night of October 30, 2025 to evaluate the relative abundance of juvenile Walleye. Water temperatures were 52 °F. Nine 10-minute stations were sampled. These stations were established in the fall of 2025 to conform with standardized statewide protocols. No age-0 walleyes were sampled in 2025. Sampling zero age-0 walleyes has been observed in 3/7 years sampled. The average catch rate is 6/hour. We attempted to net all walleye observed. Ten age-1 and older Walleye were sampled at a rate of 6/hour. They ranged from 10.5 to 18.8 inches. Age-1 and -2 Walleye were most frequently sampled and ranged in length from 10.2 to 12.8 inches. The possibility of natural Walleye reproduction makes fry stockings contribution to the Walleye year classes unknown.

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, October 30, 2025.

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