Big Portage

Big Portage (Rice Portage) Lake is a 902-acre lake with 7.22 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 23 feet located northeast of Backus, MN. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Big Portage Lake is in Lake Class 39. Other area lakes in this class include Brockway, Island (Bucker) and Townline. A State-owned public access is located on the south shore and most of the lakeshore is privately owned. Big Portage Lake is primarily managed for Northern Pike, Bluegill and Walleye, and secondarily for Black Crappie, Largemouth Bass, and Yellow Perch. A special regulation for Sunfish (daily limit 10 fish, 20 in possession) and Black Crappie (daily limit 5 fish, 10 in possession) was implemented in 2021. Big Portage Lake provides multi-species angling opportunity. Northern Pike abundance met management goals with fish ranging in length from 10 to 34 inches and averaging 19 inches long. Bluegill abundance met management goals with an average length of seven inches and fish up to nine inches long sampled. Walleye were sampled in low numbers and did not meet the management goal. Walleye averaged 24 inches long and fish ranging from 21 to 28 inches were sampled. Black Crappie ranged in length from four to 12 inches long. Largemouth Bass were sampled in low numbers with an average of length of 15 inches and fish ranging from 12 to 19 inches. Management goals for Largemouth Bass are based on spring electro-fishing which was not conducted in 2023. Yellow Perch catches did not meet management goals. Sampled perch ranged from five to nine inches and averaged six inches long. Other fish species sampled include Bowfin (Dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Bullhead. 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 Portage 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 Portage Lake is a 902-acre lake located near Backus, Minnesota. Big Portage Lake has 7.22 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 23 feet. The lake has extensive vegetation with 98 percent of the lake area less than 15 feet deep. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different lake classes based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Big Portage Lake is in Lake Class 39. Lakes in this lake class are generally shallow, regularly shaped lakes. There is a public access on the east shore off of State Highway 87. Similar Lake Class 39 lakes in the Walker area include Little Sand (11-0092) and Town Line (11-0190). The purpose of this survey was to assess Northern Pike, Walleye, and Yellow Perch populations. Big Portage Lake offers opportunities for anglers seeking a variety of fish species. Northern Pike are abundant with quality size fish present. The average length of pike sampled in 2017 was 18 inches with fish up to 35 inches captured. Walleye numbers were near average with larger fish present. The average length of Walleye sampled was 20 inches and fish up to 25 inches were present. Yellow Perch numbers are similar to other Lake Class 39 lakes with fish up to 12 inches in length present. Because the lake has extensive areas of shallow water with abundant vegetation, Largemouth Bass have been difficult to sample, as well as Bluegill and Black Crappie. There were only five Largemouth Bass caught in the 2017 sampling and the lengths ranged from 9 to 12 inches. Historically, Largemouth Bass have been sampled up to 19 inches in length. Sunfish abundance is average compared to similar lakes in the area. No trap nets were used to sample Sunfish and Black Crappie in 2017; previous surveys have observed most Sunfish were between 5 and 7.5 inches long with large individuals present. Historically Black Crappie abundance has been low, but the 2017 sample saw better numbers in gill nets than in previous years with fish up to 10 inches long being caught. Other species sampled were Bowfin (dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, and White Sucker. 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 Portage 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 Portage Lake is a 902-acre lake located near Backus, Minnesota. Big Portage Lake has 7.2 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 23 feet. The lake has extensive vegetation with 98 percent of the lake area less than 15 feet deep. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different lake classes based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Big Portage Lake is in Lake Class 39. Lakes in this lake class are generally shallow, regularly shaped lakes. There is a public access on the east shore off of State Highway 87. Big Portage Lake offers opportunities for anglers seeking a variety of fish species. The purpose of this assessment was to determine the status of the Bluegill and Largemouth Bass populations in Big Portage Lake. Bluegill abundance is average compared to similar lakes in the area. A few fish over 8 inches in length were sampled in 2016 but the majority were between 5 and 8 inches. Bluegill sampled in the 2016 spring assessment averaged 7 inches long and lengths ranged from 5 to 9 inches. A total of twenty-five largemouth bass were sampled from trap nets and electrofishing. Most largemouth Bass in the sample were less than 10 inches long, but four fish were longer than 15 inches. Largemouth Bass average length was 9 inches and lengths ranged from 6 to 19 inches. Other species sampled were Bowfin (Dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Rock Bass, Walleye, and Yellow Bullhead. 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 Portage 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.

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

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

Big Portage 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 Portage is from 2023.

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