Big Stony

Big Stony is located in southern Hubbard County, seven miles south-east of Park Rapids. Big Stony has a surface area of 343 acres and a maximum depth of 24 feet. A DNR owned public access is located on the west shore of the lake. Big Stony provides angling opportunities for Walleye, Largemouth Bass and panfish. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Big Stony is in class 34. Class 34 lakes are generally characterized as regularly shaped, shallow, turbid lakes with hard water. Other class 34 lakes in the Park Rapids area include: Alice, Schoolcraft, and Stocking. Walleye abundance was the highest ever recorded on Big Stony, with two strong year classes of fish that are 12 to 16 inch in length. These fish should provide good angling both now and in the near future. Walleye sampled had an average length of 14.4 inches with fish measuring up to 23.6 inches. Yellow Perch, an important forage species for Walleye were sampled in low numbers and generally too small for anglers. Big Stony supports an abundant Largemouth Bass population. The 2022 sample was in line with recent surveys, with an average length of 10.6 inches and the largest at 16.9 inches. Big Stony supports a good Black Crappie population and angling for them is popular year-round. Anglers will find good numbers of Black Crappie in the 7.5 - 10 inch size range, with fish up to 11.7 inches sampled. Big Stony also provides good fishing for Bluegill and Pumpkinseed, with most fish in the 6 - 7.5 inch size range. 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.

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community on Big Stony Lake was conducted on August 2, 2017 by Fisheries Lake Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) program staff. Sampling stations were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine. A 50-foot seine was used to sample six stations and a 15-foot seine was used at four stations due to deep drop offs. Nearshore sampling captured 15 native species of fish including four species that are intolerant of habitat disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Logperch). Data from this targeted nearshore survey is combined with data from a standard gill and trap netting survey conducted the week of July 31, 2017 to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biologic Integrity (FIBI) score that describes the overall health of the lake. 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 Big Stony Lake based on this survey is above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. 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 Crow Wing River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Big Stony Lake is located in southern Hubbard County, ten miles southwest of Park Rapids. Big Stony is 343 acres with a maximum depth of 24 feet. A state-owned public access is located on the southwest shore off of 209th Avenue. Big Stony provides angling opportunities for panfish, Walleye and Largemouth Bass. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Big Stony is in lake class 34. Class 34 lakes are generally characterized as regularly shaped, shallow, turbid lakes with hard water. Other class 34 lakes in the Park Rapids area include: Alice, Schoolcraft and Stocking. Big Stony is a popular lake for panfish. Angling opportunities include Black Crappie, Bluegill and Pumpkinseed. Black Crappies were small, and sampled from 4-9 inches in length. Most Bluegills and Pumpkinseeds were from 3-7.5 inches, with a few fish exceeding 8 inches. Walleye abundance was good, with a great average size for anglers of 15.5 inches and 1.25 pounds. Most fish sampled were suitable for anglers ranging from 14-19 inches. Anglers can also expect to find Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike in Big Stony. Largemouth Bass were an average size of 11 inches, with fish sampled up to 16 inches. Northern Pike had an average size of 24 inches, with fish sampled up to 33 inches. Currently no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Big Stony. 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.

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

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

Big Stony has a maximum depth of 24 feet and a mean depth of 10 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Big Stony is from 2022.

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