Little Winnibigoshish Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31085000
DNR records show 7 stocking entries at Little Winnibigoshish Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2021 (550,000 fish).
- Little Winnibigoshish Lake has 7 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2021): walleye (7).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 4,314,856 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 28 ft; surface area 1,002 acres, 209 littoral acres, 5.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 8.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, tullibee (cisco), and 4 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Deer River; DNR lake number (DOW) 31085000.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 9/9/1981 (topo map/drg); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Walleye1 | fry | 550,000 | 5.5 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fry | 389,400 | 3.9 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 5,820 | 60.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | fry | 1,104,000 | 11.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye3 | fry | 1,150,000 | 11.5 |
| 2016 | Walleye3 | fry | 1,115,000 | 11.2 |
| 2016 | Walleye3 | fingerlings | 636 | 120.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 3 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| gravel ramp | USF | |
| concrete ramp | Army Corps of Engineers |
DNR fish survey, 2017
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 34.83 | 418 | 0.14 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 13.92 | 167 | 1.95 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 12.50 | 150 | 1.11 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 11.08 | 133 | 0.37 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 4.08 | 49 | 1.75 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Standard gill nets | 0.58 | 7 | 2.87 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 0.42 | 5 | 0.85 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 4 | 1.03 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 2.33 | 28 | 0.12 |
| Bowfin (dogfish) | Standard trap nets | 0.92 | 11 | 5.31 |
| Rock bass | Standard trap nets | 0.75 | 9 | 0.36 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.42 | 5 | 2.75 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 0.42 | 5 | 0.11 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 0.25 | 3 | 0.05 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 2 | 0.72 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 2 | 0.06 |
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.
Little Winnibigoshish Lake (Little Winnie) is located 10 miles northwest of Deer River, MN within the Chippewa National Forest. The Mississippi River flows through the lake and water level fluctuations are common. The shoreline is essentially undeveloped with the exception of a resort on the north shore. The 2008 lake management plan lists Walleye as the primary management species, with Northern Pike and Yellow Perch as secondary management species. A standard survey was conducted in July 2017 to collect updated information on the fishery. The Walleye gill-net catch was the highest on record and above the typical range for similar lakes. Size structure was modest with fish ranging from 7.2 to 26.8 inches and having an average length of 14.3 inches. Only 17% of the sample exceeded 18 inches. The lake was stocked with Walleye fry, frylings or fingerlings (or combinations) annually for the last 10 years, making stocking evaluation difficult. Age 1-5 fish made up the majority of the sample. Growth was average with Walleye attaining 15.7 inches at age 4. The Northern Pike gill-net catch was above the typical range for lakes with similar habitat, but near the long-term average for Little Winnie. Size structure was poor; pike ranged from 12.4 to 32.9 inches with an average length of 20.8 inches. Only 13% of the sample exceeded 24 inches. Yellow Perch were sampled in numbers similar to the long-term average for the lake. Perch ranged from 5.2 to 9.4 inches with an average length of 6.8 inches. Only 9% of the sample exceeded 8 inches. Ages 2-7 were represented in the sample with age 3 fish the most frequently sampled. Growth was average with perch attaining 7.1 inches at age 4. The Tullibee gill-net catch was similar to the long-term average for the lake. Tullibee ranged from 6.8 to 16.2 inches with an average length of 9.4 inches. Other species sampled included Bowfin, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Rock Bass, Shorthead Redhorse, White Sucker and Black, Brown and Yellow Bullhead. Anglers can help maintain or improve the quality of fishing by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest allows for the harvest of smaller fish for table fare, but encourages release of medium to large sized fish. Releasing these fish can help maintain balance in the fish community and provide anglers the opportunity to catch more and larger fish in the future.
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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