Big Portage Lake
Cass County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 11030800
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Big Portage Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (901,710 fish).
- Big Portage Lake has 7 DNR stocking records across 7 years (2016-2025): walleye (7).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 6,320,515 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 23 ft; surface area 902 acres, 901 littoral acres, 7.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 6.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Cass County, nearest town Backus; DNR lake number (DOW) 11030800.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 901,710 | 7.7 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 904,365 | 7.7 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 901,800 | 7.3 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 901,755 | 7.6 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 906,300 | 7.5 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 902,495 | 7.4 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 902,090 | 7.6 |
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 | T139 R30 S24 - off of MN Highway 87 |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 13.12 | 105 | 0.22 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 8.12 | 65 | 0.21 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 6.88 | 55 | 1.59 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 6.50 | 52 | 0.07 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 5.38 | 43 | 0.69 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 5.00 | 40 | 1.22 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 3.88 | 31 | 0.20 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 0.88 | 7 | 4.61 |
| Bluegill | Special trap nets | 9.26 | 287 | 0.29 |
| Pumpkinseed | Special trap nets | 6.81 | 211 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Special trap nets | 4.52 | 140 | 0.44 |
| Yellow bullhead | Special trap nets | 3.23 | 100 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | Special trap nets | 1.19 | 37 | 0.00 |
| Brown bullhead | Special trap nets | 0.42 | 13 | 0.00 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Special trap nets | 0.35 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Special trap nets | 0.23 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 9.00 | 99 | 0.26 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.55 | 17 | 0.71 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.55 | 17 | 0.24 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.55 | 17 | 0.36 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.45 | 5 | 0.33 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.27 | 3 | 5.35 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.18 | 2 | 0.84 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.18 | 2 | 1.18 |
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 Portage (Rice Portage) Lake is a 902-acre lake with 7.22 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 23 feet located northeast of Backus, MN. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Big Portage Lake is in Lake Class 39. Other area lakes in this class include Brockway, Island (Bucker) and Townline. A State-owned public access is located on the south shore and most of the lakeshore is privately owned. Big Portage Lake is primarily managed for Northern Pike, Bluegill and Walleye, and secondarily for Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, and Yellow Perch. A special regulation for Sunfish (daily limit 10 fish, 20 in possession) and Black Crappie (daily limit 5 fish, 10 in possession) was implemented in 2021. Big Portage Lake provides multi-species angling opportunity. Northern Pike abundance met management goals with fish ranging in length from 10 to 34 inches and averaging 19 inches long. Bluegill abundance met management goals with an average length of seven inches and fish up to nine inches long sampled. Walleye were sampled in low numbers and did not meet the management goal. Walleye averaged 24 inches long and fish ranging from 21 to 28 inches were sampled. Black Crappie ranged in length from four to 12 inches long. Largemouth Bass were sampled in low numbers with an average of length of 15 inches and fish ranging from 12 to 19 inches. Management goals for Largemouth Bass are based on spring electro-fishing which was not conducted in 2023. Yellow Perch catches did not meet management goals. Sampled perch ranged from five to nine inches and averaged six inches long. Other fish species sampled include Bowfin (Dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Bullhead. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. Currently, no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Big Portage Lake. AIS are moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local natural resource…
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. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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