Big Stone Lake
Big Stone County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 06015200
DNR records show 16 stocking entries at Big Stone Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (3,000,000 fish).
- Big Stone Lake has 16 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (8), lake sturgeon (8).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 21,860,415 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 16 ft, mean depth 11 ft; surface area 11,984 acres, 4,795 littoral acres, 119.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 4.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, crappie, freshwater drum, golden redhorse, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, and 14 more.
- 14 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Big Stone County, nearest town Ortonville; DNR lake number (DOW) 06015200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/15/1958 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 3,000,000 | 25.2 |
| 2024 | Lake Sturgeon8 | fingerlings | 2,936 | 222.1 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 18,263 | 1,234.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 1,624 | 145.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 731 | 174.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye7 | - | 839,797 | 357.3 |
| 2023 | Lake Sturgeon8 | fingerlings | 4,005 | 202.9 |
| 2022 | Lake Sturgeon8 | fingerlings | 3,348 | 209.6 |
| 2021 | Lake Sturgeon8 | fingerlings | 4,030 | 201.7 |
| 2021 | Walleye7 | fry | 6,000,000 | 50.0 |
| 2019 | Lake Sturgeon8 | fingerlings | 4,256 | 243.2 |
| 2018 | Lake Sturgeon8 | fingerlings | 4,705 | 177.6 |
| 2018 | Walleye7 | fry | 6,000,000 | 50.0 |
| 2017 | Lake Sturgeon8 | fingerlings | 4,068 | 159.0 |
| 2016 | Lake Sturgeon8 | fingerlings | 3,036 | 123.9 |
| 2016 | Walleye7 | fry | 6,000,000 | 60.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 7 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by State of South Dakota. 8 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | BST | SDGFP Big Stone City ramp; at the foot of the lake in Big Stone City; SD. |
| concrete ramp | BST | SDGFP Rearing Ponds ramp; 2 miles N of Big Stone City; SD off Hwy 109. |
| concrete ramp | BST | SDGFP Kasuskes ramp; 11 miles N of Big Stone City; SD off Hwy 109. |
| concrete ramp | BST | SDGFP Harford Beach State Park ramp; 14 miles N of Milbank; SD off Hwy 15. |
| concrete ramp | BST | SDGFP Hiawatha Beach ramp; 23 miles N of Milbank; SD off Hwy 15. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Hornstiens ramp; 4 miles SW of Beardsley; MN off County Hwy 33. |
| gravel ramp | TOW | Yankeetown gravel access; 5 miles S of Beardsley; MN off County Rd 58 and County Hwy 33. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Bonanza ramp; 8 miles S of Beardsley; MN off State Hwy 7 in State Park. |
| concrete ramp | TOW | Mallard Point ramp; 10 miles S of Beardsley; MN off State Hwy 7. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Big Stone State Park ramp; 9 miles NW of Ortonville; MN off State Hwy 7. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Meadowbrook ramp; 8 miles NW of of Ortonville; MN off State Hwy 7. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Heinz ramp; 4 miles north of Ortonville; MN off Big Stone County Rd 68. |
| concrete ramp | city | Ortonville Penninsula ramp; 1 mile NW of Ortvonville; MN off State Hwy 7. |
| concrete ramp | city | Foot of the Lake ramp; at the southern end of the Lake in Ortonville; MN. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake sturgeon | Special gill nets | 15.22 | 137 | 25.52 |
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.
Lake sturgeon were historically present in Big Stone Lake but had been extirpated by around 1950 likely due to winterkill, summerkill, overharvest and barriers to spawning migrations. Lake sturgeon were reintroduced in 2014 and approximately 4,000 fingerlings had been stocked annually (excluding 2020), totaling 44,500 as of 2024. Stocking will occur every third year thereafter, with the next scheduled in 2027. This targeted survey was conducted to document the size distribution and relative abundance of lake sturgeon in Big Stone Lake. Large-mesh gill nets were used to specifically target large fish. Over a three day period during October 2025, 137 lake sturgeon were caught. Their lengths ranged from 36 to 58 inches. Thirty-four percent were 50 inches or larger. The largest sturgeon measured 58 inches and 64 pounds and was 11 years old. Stocking has been successful as sturgeon are abundant, growing fast, are in good physical condition and are frequently caught by anglers and in DNR surveys. This was a specific assessment targeting lake sturgeon so these data are not comparable to data from standard gill nets used to sample all species that are reported in other Big Stone Lake reports.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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