Big Cormorant

Big Cormorant is a 3,657-acre lake located in southwestern Becker County. It is well-suited to Walleyes, which were reportedly introduced during the early part of the 20th century. A targeted fisheries survey using 12 gill nets was completed in August 2025 to assess the Walleye population of Big Cormorant Lake. Gill nets are also the standard sampling gear for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch, providing a secondary opportunity to utilize survey data on these game species. Walleye catch rates remained relatively stable (approximately 20 Walleye per gill net) in Big Cormorant Lake until 2014. Beginning with the 2014 survey, catch rates have consistently fallen below the lake's historic average catch rate of 20.7 Walleye per gill net and reached a historic low of ten Walleye per gill net in 2022. In 2025, the Walleye catch rate was 14.4 Walleye per gill net which decreased from the 2024 catch rate of 17.4 Walleye per net. The average length of a Walleye was 14 inches and the longest Walleye measured was 23 inches. Walleyes were sampled from 17 different ages with fish as old as 20 years collected. Young fish were most abundant, with fish four years old or less making up 77% of the sample. Fish that were 14 years old also showed up in better numbers than would be expected. The Northern Pike gill net catch in Big Cormorant Lake has remained stable since the 2002 survey and the 2025 catch rate of 6.8 pike per net was no exception. The average length of Northern Pike surveyed in 2025 was 23 inches and the longest was 35.5 inches. About 39% of the pike sampled were over 24 inches. The Yellow Perch catch rate of 19.5 per gill net was the fifth highest recorded for the lake and continues a trend of above average numbers for the lake. Perch averaged 6.6 inches and the longest was 9.6 inches. Smallmouth Bass gill net catch rate increased to six bass per net from 3.3 per net observed in the 2024 survey. Smallmouth Bass averaged 14.1 inches with fish up to 19.2 inches caught. A fair number of Bluegills were caught in gill nets. Bluegill averaged eight inches long and measured up to 9.7 inches. Of interest for anglers, 64% of the Bluegills caught were over eight inches. Rock Bass abundance returned to more normal levels in 2025, with gill nets capturing an average of 21 fish per net. Rock Bass averaged eight inches and the longest was 11 inches. Anglers have a good opportunity to harvest Rock Bass as 58% of the fish sampled were over eight inches. Other species sampled were Brown and Yellow Bullhead, Black Crappie, hybrid sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, and White Sucker.

Big Cormorant is a 3,657-acre lake located in southwestern Becker County. It is well-suited to Walleyes, which were reportedly introduced during the early part of the 20th century. A targeted fisheries survey using 12 gill nets was completed in August 2024 to assess the Walleye population of Big Cormorant Lake. Gill nets are also the standard sampling gear for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch, providing a secondary opportunity to utilize survey data on these game species. Walleye catch rates remained relatively stable (approximately 20 Walleye per gill net) in Big Cormorant Lake until 2014. Beginning with the 2014 survey, catch rates have consistently fallen below the lake's historic average catch rate of 20.7 Walleye per gill net and reached a historic low of ten Walleye per gill net in 2022. In 2024, the Walleye catch rate was 17.4 Walleye per gill net. This was the highest catch since the 2008 survey. The average length of a Walleye was 14.9 inches and the longest Walleye measured was 24.7 inches. Walleyes were sampled from 14 different ages with fish as old as 15 years collected. Young fish were most abundant with fish four years old or less making up 73% of the sample. Fish that were 13 years old also showed up in better numbers than would be expected. The Northern Pike gill net catch in Big Cormorant Lake has remained stable since the 2002 survey and the 2024 catch rate of 7.8 pike per net was no exception. The average length of Northern Pike surveyed in 2024 was 22 inches and the longest was 32 inches. The Yellow Perch catch rate of 23.2 per gill net was the second highest recorded for the lake and was the highest since the 1994 survey. Perch averaged 6.6 inches and the longest was 8.9 inches. Smallmouth Bass gill net catch rate decreased to 3.3 bass per net from the 10.9 per net observed in the 2022 survey. Smallmouth Bass averaged 13.5 inches with fish up to 18.5 inches caught. A fair number of Bluegills were caught in gill nets. Bluegill averaged 7.5 inches long and measured up to 9.7 inches. Of interest for anglers, 51% of the Bluegills caught were over eight inches. Rock Bass continued to be abundant. Rock Bass gill net catch rate was 35.3 fish per net, well above the lake average of 19.7 per net. Rock Bass averaged eight inches and the longest was 11.1 inches. Anglers have a good opportunity to harvest Rock Bass as 72% of the fish sampled were over seven inches. Other species sampled were Brown and Yellow Bullhead, Black Crappie, Green Sunfish, hybrid sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, and White Sucker.

Big Cormorant is regarded as an excellent natural prairie Walleye lake. At 3,657 acres, it is the second largest lake in Becker County. Besides Walleye, the lake also provides anglers with the opportunity to catch Bluegill, Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Smallmouth Bass. The lake's proximity to the Fargo-Moorhead area results in heavy angling pressure and shoreline development. Big Cormorant continues to sustain a hearty Walleye population relative to lakes of similar size and habitat characteristics. In 2023, the Walleye gill net catch rate remained similar to past surveys at almost 17 fish per net. Walleye size did drop, however, with fish averaging 15 inches long and ranging between seven and 27 inches. The smaller size likely was the result of most of the Walleye being three years of age and younger. The 2023 catch rate of Northern Pike was around eight pike per net, which is higher than the lake's historic average. Pike sampled in 2023 measured between nine and 36 inches, with an average length of 24 inches. Forty-three percent of the pike captured in gill nets were 24 inches long or longer. Catch rates of Yellow Perch were 15 fish per net, which was the highest they've been since 1998. Sampled perch averaged about six inches in length and ranged from just under six inches, to nine inches. Smallmouth Bass numbers were the lowest seen since 2019. Bass averaged 13 inches with the largest being nearly 19 inches long. Bluegill and Black Crappie were caught in modest numbers, while Rock Bass were abundant. Other species sampled in 2023 included White Sucker, Bullhead (Black, Brown, and Yellow), Pumpkinseed, Green Sunfish, and hybrid sunfish. Two juvenile Common Carp were also captured during the 2023 survey.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Hybrid Sunfish, Rock Bass, Black Crappie, and Northern Pike in Big Cormorant. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Big Cormorant. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Big Cormorant has a maximum depth of 75 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Big Cormorant is from 2025.

Yes — Big Cormorant has confirmed zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.