Big Sand

Big Sand Lake (DOW# 11-0077) is a 730-acre lake with 635 littoral acres, 8.42 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 23 feet located West of Remer, MN. There is a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) owned public access on the East shore. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Big Sand Lake is in lake class 35; lakes in this class typically have a high percentage of littoral area (water depths less than 15 feet deep), and an irregular shoreline. Other area lakes in lake class 35 include Big Bass, Hovde, and McKeown. The lake is primarily managed for Bluegill and Walleye. Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike and Yellow Perch are a secondary management species. Black Crappie are present although targeted sampling is required to establish long-range management goals. Black Crappie ranged in length from 4 to 9 inches. Bluegill catch rates exceeded abundance and size structure management goals and ranged in length from 3 to 9 inches. Other fish species sampled include Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Yellow Bullhead, and Yellow Perch. 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 Sand 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 office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Walker Area Fisheries office.

Big Sand Lake (DOW# 11-0077; Lake Class 35) is a 730-acre lake with 635 littoral acres located north of Remer, MN. There is a township-owned public access on the east shore. Big Sand Lake has 8.42 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 23 feet. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Big Sand Lake is in Lake Class 35; lakes in this class typically have a very high percentage of their surface area less than 15 feet deep and a very irregular shoreline. Other area lakes in Lake Class 35 include, Big Bass, Hovde and McKeown. The lake is primarily managed for Bluegill and Walleye and secondarily for Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, and Yellow Perch. The lake was initially surveyed in 1973 and 14 resurveys, population assessments or natural reproduction checks have occurred since then. Bluegill abundance was moderate but lower than recent surveys in the lake with 12 fish per gill net sampled. Bluegill had an average length of six inches and fish up to eight inches were sampled. Management goals are based on trap nets, which were not used. Walleye were caught at nearly five fish per net, the second highest catch in this lake and exceeded the management goal of four fish per net. Walleye lengths ranged from 16 to 26 inches with an average of 20 inches. Northern Pike numbers were the highest observed with 18 fish per gill net and were well above the management goal of 7 to 10 fish per net. Northern Pike had an average length of 19 inches and a weight of almost two pounds. Anglers are encouraged to harvest the abundant Northern Pike under 22 inches in this lake. Largemouth Bass catch rates were at an all-time high with approximately four fish per gill net sampled. Electrofishing targeting Largemouth Bass to set and measure management goals was not conducted in Big Sand Lake. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 8 to 19 inches sampled with an average length of 14 inches. Black Crappie were caught at over 12 fish per gill net, a record high using gill nets, and averaged 7 inches long; crappie ranged in length from 4 to 10 inches. Spring trap netting is needed to set management goals for Black Crappie. Yellow Perch numbers were high but similar to past surveys with 24 fish per net. The Yellow Perch catch exceeded the management goal of 10 to fish per gill net. Yellow Perch averaged six inches in length with fish from five to eight inches sampled. Other fish species that anglers can expect to encounter include, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish and Pumpkinseed. 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 Sand 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 office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Walker Area Fisheries office.

Minnesota DNR Fisheries Area staff conducted an assessment of lakeshore habitat on Big Sand Lake on Jun 22 2020, following the Score the Shore survey protocols. The assessment consisted of 67 survey sites evenly spaced 200 meters around the lake. Assessments were made in three habitat zones: Shoreline Zone (the shore-water interface to the top of the natural bank), Shoreland Zone (land-ward from shoreline to development structure or 100 feet), and Aquatic Zone (lake-ward 50 feet of shoreline). The average lakewide habitat score was 84.1 (+/- 2.7) out of 100 possible. Approximately 23 percent of the sites were developed with a mean score of 51.9 (+/- 5.5), while undeveloped sites had a mean score of 94.2 (+/- 0.9).

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

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

Big Sand has a maximum depth of 23 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Big Sand is from 2021.

No invasive species are on record for Big Sand in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.