Pig

Pig Lake is accessed through Whitefish Lake and seems more like a large bay than a separate lake. An old township road access on the south shore is now used by the Ideal Fire Department and is gated off; the gate is opened for winter access. Northern Pike were caught in moderate numbers (8.0/net) with an average length of 23.1". Some decent fish can be found, with 19% measuring over 26" and fish up to 32.7" sampled. Walleye numbers were lower at 1.3/net, but average length was quite large at 20.0". Pig is not stocked directly with Walleyes, but connected Whitefish is stocked every year. Bluegill (26.3/net) were quite small, with an average length of 4.9" and only 2% measuring 7" or larger. It is possible that larger Bluegill had already vacated the shallows or were nesting, making them difficult to sample. Only three Black Crappies were caught and ranged from 8.9"-10.6". Based on these results, anglers may want to look elsewhere in the chain to target Panfish. A special regulation on the Whitefish Chain reduced the daily limit of Sunfish and Crappie to 5 of each in 2021. Largemouth Bass electrofishing was conducted at various stations across the Whitefish Chain of Lakes, resulting in a combined catch rate of 44.9/hour. Average length was 13.1" and 39% were over 14", with fish up to 19.2" sampled. Three Smallmouth Bass were also netted while electrofishing and all of them were over 16".

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community in Pig Lake was conducted by Fisheries Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff starting August 8, 2018. Ten sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 15-foot or 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all ten sites with two sites sampled from the boat. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample eight sites, and soft sediments with abundant vegetation prevented the use of seines at two sampling sites. Nearshore sampling captured 26 native species of fish including ten species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Logperch, Mimic Shiner, Northern Sunfish, Pugnose Shiner, Rock Bass, and Smallmouth Bass) and one species that is tolerant of disturbance (Green Sunfish). Data from this targeted nearshore survey is combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 2018 standard survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. The FIBI score for Pig Lake from this survey is above an impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes and indicates an exceptional fish community is present in this lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Pine River Watershed assessment of surface waters process completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Pig Lake is accessed through Whitefish Lake and seems more like a large bay than a separate lake. An old township road access on the south shore is now used by the Ideal Fire Department and is gated off; the gate is opened up for winter access. The 2018 survey found most species in average numbers, but size was small. Northern pike were caught in the highest number to date (16.3/gill net). Size was small, with an average length of 19.6" and 16% measuring 24" or larger. Lakes in this part of the state have a new northern pike regulation enacted in 2018: possession limit of 10 with not more than 2 over 26". All from 22"-26" must be immediately released. Please refer to the current Minnesota Fishing Regulations for additional information. In contrast to northern pike, walleye had lower numbers (1.7/gill net), but nicer size. Average length was 19.0" and 80% of the fish were 12" or larger. Pig is not stocked directly with walleyes, but connected Whitefish is stocked every year. Black crappie (1.1/trap net) and bluegill (22.2/trap net) numbers were average for this type of lake. Average length of crappies was 7.6", with 40% measuring 8" or larger. Bluegill were on the small side with an average length of 5.5" and only 15% measuring 7" or larger. Largemouth bass numbers for the Whitefish Chain, which includes Pig, were 68.8/hr run-time during night electrofishing. Average length was 13.5". Five smallmouth bass were also netted while electrofishing the chain. All but one were over 17".

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

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

Pig has a maximum depth of 56 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Pig is from 2024.

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