Big Kandiyohi

A targeted fall night electrofishing survey of young of year "YOY" (fingerling sized) Walleye was conducted on Big Kandiyohi Lake during September 11, 2024. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e., spawning season, fall season, etc.) unlike a standard survey which samples a wider range of fish species during the summer months using standard methodology (i.e., standard time of year, set sampling stations, taking water clarity readings and oxygen/temperature profiles, etc.) and gears (i.e., lake survey gillnets, trapnets and possibly spring electrofishing for Largemouth Bass). Big Kandiyohi is a large (2,683 acres), shallow (18 feet maximum depth), and productive lake located in Kandiyohi County. Winterkill is not an issue for Big Kandiyohi due to its greater depth unlike other nearby shallow (10 feet or less) lakes like Elizabeth and Lake Lillian. Water clarity varies seasonally with generally good clarity during mid-May through June (secchi=3-10 feet), poor by late July through mid-August ( 3 feet). Water levels were generally low in 2020-2023, but normal in 2024. Intense blue-green algae blooms are often present during the summers. Submergent vegetation densities are usually relatively low consisting mostly of sago pondweed, coontail, curly-leaf pondweed and water moss. Curly-leaf pondweed has been a nuisance in recent years. Filamentous algae densities were at nuisance levels for 2021. Shoalwater substrates are varied, but consist mostly of sand, gravel, boulder, silt, and rubble. Walleye natural reproduction in Big Kandiyohi is frequent, but generally insignificant based on previous surveys. The Walleye population is due primarily to fry stocking. Big Kandiyohi was stocked with approximately 2-3 million Walleye fry per year in the springs of 2011, 2013, and 2015. Approximately 1.5 million Spicer Strain fry were stocked on April 28, 2017. There were about 1.0 million Spicer Strain Walleye fry stocked in 2019 and 2021. Approximately 846,000 Walleye fry were stocked in 2022. About 500,000 Walleye fry were stocked in 2023. There were about 400,000 Walleye fry stocked in 2024. YOY Walleye abundance was high in 2024 (114.00 YOY/hour, 5.84 inches). Abundant YOY Walleye numbers (539.99 YOY/hour, 5.31 inches) were caught in the 2022 fall night electrofishing survey. Low YOY Walleye numbers were captured in 2019 fall electrofishing survey (19.50 YOY/hour, 6.77 inches). However, abundant YOY Walleye numbers were captured in Big Kandiyohi during the 2017 fall electrofishing survey (80.69 YOY/hour, 6.02 inches). Moderate YOY Walleye numbers were captured in 2015 (46.00 YOY/hour, 4.78 inches). The historical average catch rate is 110.62 YOY/hour for Big Kandiyohi. Moderate Yearling Walleye numbers were present in 2024 (14.00 fish/hour, 11.07 inches). Yearling Walleye numbers (72 fish/hour, 10.04 inches) were abundant in 2022. No yearling Walleye were captured in the 2019 fall electrofishing survey. Adult Walleye abundance (18.00 fish/gillnet) was above historical average (12.48 fish/gillnet) in the most recent 2021 summer gillnet survey. The 2021 Walleye average weight and length were 2.98 pounds and 20.17 inches from gillnets. Walleye growth rates were excellent. The 2017 (fry stocked year) and 2016 (natural) Walleye year classes comprised 39% and 19% respectively of the 2021 gillnet and trapnet catch in Big Kandiyohi. Walleye angling success (open water and ice) has been excellent the last several years on Big Kandiyohi. The Big Kandiyohi Lake fishery will be surveyed in the 2026 summer for all fish species. Fall night electrofishing surveys will be conducted during some Walleye fry stocked years (next scheduled electrofishing survey in 2026) to assess the success or failure of the stockings. Walleye fry stocking is currently scheduled yearly for Big Kandiyohi.

A targeted fall night electrofishing survey of young of year "YOY" (fingerling sized) Walleye was conducted on Big Kandiyohi Lake during September 26, 2022. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e., spawning season, fall season, etc.) unlike a standard survey which samples a wider range of fish species during the summer months using standard methodology (i.e., standard time of year, set sampling stations, taking water clarity readings and oxygen/temperature profiles, etc.) and gears (i.e. lake survey gillnets, trapnets and possibly spring electrofishing for Largemouth Bass). Big Kandiyohi is a large (2,683 acres), shallow (18 feet maximum depth), and productive lake located in Kandiyohi County. Winterkill is not an issue for Big Kandiyohi due to its greater depth unlike other nearby shallow (10 feet or less) lakes like Elizabeth and Lake Lillian. Water clarity varies seasonally with generally good clarity during mid-May through June (secchi=3-10 feet), poor by late July through mid-August ( 3 feet). Water levels were low in 2020-2022. An intense blue-green algae bloom was present during the 2022 summer. Submergent vegetation densities are usually relatively low consisting mostly of sago pondweed, coontail, curly-leaf pondweed and water moss. Curly-leaf pondweed has been a nuisance in recent years. Filamentous algae densities were at nuisance levels for 2021. Shoalwater substrates are varied, but consist mostly of sand, gravel, boulder, silt, and rubble. Walleye natural reproduction in Big Kandiyohi is frequent, but generally insignificant based on previous surveys and analysis. The Walleye population is due primarily to fry stocking. Big Kandiyohi was stocked with approximately 2-3 million Walleye fry per year in the springs of 2011, 2013, and 2015. Approximately 1.5 million Spicer Strain fry were stocked on April 28, 2017. There were about 1.0 million Spicer Strain Walleye fry stocked in 2019 and 2021. In 2022, 846,507 Walleye fry were stocked. Abundant YOY Walleye numbers (539.99 YOY/hour, 5.3 inches) were caught in the 2022 fall night electrofishing survey. Low YOY Walleye numbers were captured in 2019 fall electrofishing survey (19.50 YOY/hour, 6.8 inches). However, abundant YOY Walleye numbers were captured in Big Kandiyohi during the 2017 fall electrofishing survey (80.69 YOY/hour, 6.0 inches). Moderate YOY Walleye numbers were captured in 2015 (46.00 YOY/hour, 4.8 inches). Yearling Walleye numbers (72 fish/hour, 10.0 inches) were abundant in 2022. No yearling Walleye were captured in the 2019 fall electrofishing survey. In other previous fall night electrofishing surveys, high YOY Walleye numbers were captured in 2006 (177.00 YOY/hour, 5.5 inches), 2008 (135.56 YOY/hour, 4.8 inches), 2009 (60.00 YOY/hour, 5.1 inches), 2011 (272.00 YOY/hour, 5.8 inches) and 2013 (134.00 YOY/hour, 5.8 inches). The historical average catch rate is 110.62 YOY/hour for Big Kandiyohi. Local anglers reported good catches of adult Walleye during 2015-2022 which were likely due to recent fry stockings. Adult Walleye abundance (18.00 fish/gillnet) was above historical average (12.48 fish/gillnet) in the most recent 2021 summer gillnet survey. The 2021 Walleye average weight and length were 2.98 pounds and 20.2 inches from gillnets. Walleye growth rates were excellent. The 2017 (fry stocked year) and 2016 (natural) Walleye year classes comprised 39% and 19% respectively of the 2021 gillnet and trapnet catch in Big Kandiyohi. The Big Kandiyohi Lake fishery will be surveyed in the 2026 summer for all fish species. Fall night electrofishing surveys will be conducted during some Walleye fry stocked years (next scheduled electrofishing survey in 2024) to assess the success or failure of the stockings. Walleye fry stocking is currently scheduled yearly for Big Kandiyohi.

Minnesota DNR Fisheries Area staff conducted an assessment of lakeshore habitat on Big Kandiyohi Lake on Sep 07 2022, following the Score the Shore survey protocols. The assessment consisted of 112 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 74.7 (+/- 2.2) out of 100 possible. Approximately 45 percent of the sites were developed with a mean score of 53.5 (+/- 2.3), while undeveloped sites had a mean score of 92.4 (+/- 0.8).

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

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

Big Kandiyohi has a maximum depth of 18 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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

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