Winnibigoshish Lake
Cass County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 11014700
DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Winnibigoshish Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (14,200,000 fish).
- Winnibigoshish Lake has 6 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2024): walleye (6).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 77,128,375 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 70 ft, mean depth 15 ft; surface area 56,471 acres, 18,904 littoral acres, 69.8 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.6 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, burbot, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, and 8 more.
- 8 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Cass County, nearest town Bena; DNR lake number (DOW) 11014700.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 10/1/1963 (topo map/drg); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 14,200,000 | 133.9 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 7,500,000 | 75.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 9,500,000 | 95.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 13,921,000 | 117.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 16,785,675 | 167.9 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 15,221,700 | 152.2 |
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 | USF | - Plug Hat Point, double ramp with dock. |
| concrete ramp | USF | - Tamarack Point, single ramp with no dock. Access is shallow. |
| concrete ramp | USF | - Birches, east side of lake on forest road # 2163 |
| concrete ramp | USF | - Richards Townsite, south shore by the Big Fish supper club. |
| concrete ramp | USF | - West Winnie, north of the Mississippi River inlet. Two ramps - sand ramp at the lake and concrete ramp in the harbor. Both can be shallow. |
| concrete ramp | USF | - Third River, on the Third River in the northwest corner of the lake. Single ramp with no dock |
| concrete ramp | USF | - Pigeon River, access for small boats only. Access to Winnie may be restricted by sandbars. |
| earthen ramp | USF | - On unnamed road near the mouth of the Third River. Winter access only. Gated during the summer. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow perch | Survey seining | 424.36 | 4,668 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Survey seining | 86.00 | 946 | 0.00 |
| BCS | Survey seining | 52.91 | 582 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Survey seining | 18.45 | 203 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Survey seining | 16.82 | 185 | 0.00 |
| White sucker | Survey seining | 14.27 | 157 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Survey seining | 12.45 | 137 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Survey seining | 11.64 | 128 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Fall electrofishing | 26.00 | 78 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 16.67 | 50 | 0.00 |
| Northern pike | Special trap nets | 9.97 | 359 | 1.98 |
| Muskellunge | Special trap nets | 0.03 | 1 | 20.35 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 8.94 | 286 | 0.19 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 6.06 | 194 | 1.72 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 2.62 | 84 | 2.47 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 1.16 | 37 | 2.12 |
| Tullibee (cisco) | Standard gill nets | 1.06 | 34 | 1.09 |
| Shorthead redhorse | Standard gill nets | 0.19 | 6 | 4.52 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 0.09 | 3 | 1.14 |
| Burbot | Standard gill nets | 0.06 | 2 | 2.26 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 2.88 | 49 | 0.51 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.71 | 46 | 0.37 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.71 | 29 | 0.67 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.65 | 11 | 2.98 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.29 | 5 | 0.90 |
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 Winnibigoshish, otherwise known as Winnie or Big Winnie, is a large reservoir located immediately north of the community of Bena, Minnesota. Winnie was a natural lake that was impounded in the 1880's with a dam controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Today the USACE maintains water levels within a narrow band of elevation that gives the lake its current surface area of approximately 56,472 acres and a maximum depth of 69 feet. The surrounding geology contains a high proportion of sandy soils, providing an abundance of sandy shoreline with gradual slopes. With approximately 11 miles of open water between the north and south shores, the lake is prone to high wave action and frequent mixing of the water column when exposed to high winds. During the open water season, this keeps temperatures and oxygen levels much more uniform from the surface to the bottom of the lake, in comparison to smaller, more protected lakes with similar water depth. Sugar Lake, Cut Foot Sioux Lake, and Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake are all directly connected to Winnie. Some of the major tributaries include the First River flowage through Cut Foot Sioux Lake, the Third River, and the Mississippi River. Winnibigoshish is often thought of as a premier Walleye and Yellow Perch destination, but this lake offers angling opportunities for multiple species. Acknowledging the importance of this fishery, Winnibigoshish was included as one of ten lakes in the Large Lake Monitoring Program, which was developed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) in 1983. Surveys are conducted on these lakes annually and typically include a suite of sampling methods that track trends in water quality, zooplankton, juvenile fish, periodic creel (angler) surveys, and the status of game fish targeted by anglers. Major changes have been occurring within the system over the past 15 years. These changes began around the time of the discovery of invasive Faucet Snails in 2007, followed by the detection of larval Zebra Mussels in 2012, and adult Zebra Mussels in 2016. These invasives are filter feeders that can dramatically increase water clarity and reduce the abundance of plankton available to fish. Prior to the introduction of these invasives, water clarity (measured with a Secchi disc) averaged 6 to 7 feet and the highest ever recorded was 10 feet. There has been a post-invasion trend of increasing water clarity in Winnibigoshish. Secchi disc readings in 2025 were not as high as the previous two years, but still well above average with a range of 7 to 22 feet. Increasing…
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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