Big

Big Lake is a 1,904 acre lake located 13 miles northwest of Ely. The main access is a ramp off the Echo Trail but there is also a portage access on the west side to La Pond and a water route access from the Portage River into the same bay the La Pond portage originates from. The lake has a maximum depth of 22 feet and brown bog-stained water. Big Lake was thoroughly mixed on August 19, 2019 with an entire water column temperature of 70 F and oxygen levels adequate for gamefish from the surface to the bottom. Big Lake has four relatively minor inlets and one outlet. The outlet is the aforementioned water route access to the Portage River. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly boulder and ledge rock with muck in some of the bays. Aquatic plants are sparse but do grow in the shallow water in some of the bays. There are four designated US Forest Service administered campsites, three of which are located on islands, and the fourth is on the west shore and is technically within the BWCAW. None of the lake is in the BWCAW but approximately 1 mile of shoreline on the west side is within it. Additionally there are two resorts on the lake. The shoreline ownership is split between US Forest Service, State of Minnesota, and private ownership. The overall gillnet catch rate for all fish combined was 39.3 fish/net which was average compared to past catches for the lake. Total yield was 58.7 lbs/net which was also near the average. Fish species sampled in gill nets were white sucker, walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, and black crappie. The overall trapnet catch rate for all fish combined was 11.3 fish/net which was the second lowest on record for the lake. Total yield was 17.9 lbs/net which was just below average. No additional species were sampled in trap nets that weren't also caught in gill nets. The 2019 walleye gillnet catch rate was 9.5 fish/net, which was above average compared to other similar lakes and compared to past surveys for Big Lake. Walleye lengths from gill nets ranged from 7 to just over 26 inches with an average of 14 inches which was comparable to past surveys. Growth was slow compared to other lakes in the area however this is typical of some dark water lakes. It takes on average 6 years for a Big Lake walleye to reach over 15 inches. Ages ranged from 1 to 18 with the bulk of the catch being under 8 years old. Walleye fry are stocked. Although it was not a year when fry were stocked, the 2012 year class was the strongest. The northern pike gillnet catch rate was 1.3 fish/net which was low compared to other similar lakes but about average for Big Lake. Sizes ranged from 17 to 28 inches with an average of 21 inches. The average weight was just over 2 pounds which was slightly better than average compared to other similar lakes. Throughout all past surveys on the lake, northern pike catch rates and lengths have been remarkably consistent. Electrofishing was used for the first time on Big Lake for spring smallmouth bass sampling. Five smallmouth bass were captured in 2.67 hours of on-time for a total catch rate of 1.9 fish/hour. This was low compared to other area smallmouth lakes, although the shoreline characteristics of Big Lake can make electrofishing somewhat challenging. Sizes were good ranging from 12 to 19 inches with an average of nearly 16 inches. Seven additional smallmouth were sampled in gill nets. Growth rates were exceptional compared to other smallmouth lakes in the area. At 4 years old, the average smallmouth was nearly 14 inches long. Four black crappie were sampled in trap nets for a catch rate of 0.3 fish/net which was low compared to other similar lakes. Three additional fish were sampled in the gill nets and this was the third consecutive survey where black crappie were caught, none had been sampled prior to 2009. Lengths of all fish ranged from 5 to nearly 12 inches with an average of just over 9 inches. Ages ranged from 1 to 6. The yellow perch gill net catch rate (8.4/gill net) was slightly below average compared to other similar lakes but right around normal for Big Lake. Perch sizes in 2019 were similar to past investigations, averaging nearly 8 inches with some fish measuring around 12 inches. Big Lake has always had a substantial sucker population and this survey showed no signs of them slowing down. The gillnet catch was 18.7 fish/net which was around average for the lake and considerably higher than other similar lakes. Sizes were similar to past surveys with an average of 17 inches and a maximum of 22 inches. Rock bass were also sampled but in low numbers which was comparable to recent past surveys.

Big Lake is located approximately 12 miles NW of Ely in the Superior National Forest. This scenic lake has rocky shorelines with ledgerock points and the surrounding forest is primarliy coniferous with large pines. There are several campsites surrounding the lake and 2 resorts can be found on the N side. A concrete boat ramp is located on the N side off the Echo Trail (CR116) for public access. White sucker dominated the gill net catch (50%) in the 2014 population assessment. Yellow perch (26%) and walleye (19%) were also common. Northern pike, smallmouth bass, black crappie and rock bass were sampled in low numbers. Walleye dominated the trap net catch (60%). White sucker (27%) were common and northern pike, black crappie and rock bass were sampled in low numbers. White sucker numbers in 2014 (18.0/gill net) were slightly lower than the long term average (19.3/gill net) for all assessments on this lake. The average sucker was 17.5 inches long which was similar to past assessments. Yellow perch numbers in 2014 (9.1/gill net) were slightly above average (8.3/gill net) for this lake. Perch averaged 8.0 inches long similar to past assessments. The largest perch sampled in the gill nets was 11.3 inches long. Walleye abundance in 2014 (6.9/gill net) was average (6.8/gill net) for this lake. Walleye averaged 13.1 inches long in the gill nets and about 4 years old. Walleye numbers from the trap nets (7.7/net) were average compared to past assessments. The largest walleye sampled from both gear types was 23.7 inches long. Walleye fry are stocked every three years with the last stocking in 2013. Northern pike numbers in 2014 (1.2/gill net) were average compared to past assessments. Pike sizes averaged 22.3 inches and the largest pike sampled was 29.9 inches long. Smallmouth bass abundance in 2014 (0.4/gill net) was similar to past surveys. The largest smallmouth sampled was 17 inches long. Black crappie numbers in 2014 (0.3/trap net) were relatively low. Most crappie were around 9 inches long. Rock bass numbers in 2014 were relatively low from both gear types. The average rock bass sampled was 7.0 inches and the largest was 10.1 inches long.

Big Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 16 which consists of 38 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are very large, shallow, and have very soft (low mineral content) water. Big Lake is typical of lakes in this lake class but has a more irregular shoreline shape. Big Lake was not thermally stratified on 08/17/2009 and retained good oxygen to the bottom. There are small inlets from Chorus Lake and Agassa Lake and the outlet is to the Portage River. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are mostly boulder and ledgerock. Aquatic plants are sparse and grow to a depth of 7 feet. Fish populations in 2009 were similar to previous investigations on Big Lake and were dominated by white sucker, followed by walleye and yellow perch. Lower numbers of northern pike, rock bass, and smallmouth bass were also netted. Two black crappies captured in the 2009 assessment were the first ever caught in a Big Lake investigation. White sucker have been the most abundant fish species in all assessments on Big Lake. Sucker numbers in 2009 (17.3 fish/gillnet) were above average for Lake Class 16 but lower than the median catch (20.8 fish/gillnet) for all investigations on this lake. White sucker in 2009 averaged 17.3 inches (2.3 lbs), which was normal for this lake class and similar to the average size (17.2 inches) for all investigations on Big Lake. Trapnet catches of white sucker (6.2 fish/trapnet) were above average for this lake class and higher than the median (3.3 fish/trapnet) for all Big Lake investigations. Walleye fingerlings or fry have been stocked periodically in Big Lake since 1941. The walleye gillnet catch in 2009 (5.1 fish/gillnet) was normal for Lake Class 16 and lower than the median catch (6.5 fish/gillnet) for all investigations on this lake. However, the trapnet catch of walleye in 2009 (8.5 fish/trapnet) was above average for this lake class and higher than the median (6.2 fish/trapnet) for all Big Lake population assessments. Walleye size in 2009 averaged 14.0 inches (1.1 lbs) from the gillnets and 14.3 inches (1.25 lbs) from the trapnets, both similar to their respective medians for Lake Class 16. The largest walleye caught in 2009 was 27.4 inches long. Aging of gillnet captured walleye revealed eleven year classes in the 2009 catch, and age 3 fish from the 2006 year class were the most abundant. Walleye growth was normal by area standards. The yellow perch catch rate in 2009 (4.5 fish/gillnet) was lower than normal for Lake Class 16, lower than the median (7.5 fish/gillnet) for all investigations on Big Lake, and lower than the gillnet catch in recent assessments. Perch sizes in 2009 averaged 8.4 inches (0.3 lbs), which was normal for Lake Class 16 and nearly identical to the average length (8.6 inches) for all investigations on this lake. Aging of perch scales showed five year classes were present in the 2009 gillnet catch. Age two and age three perch from the 2007 and 2006 year classes were the most abundant. Yellow perch growth was faster than normal by area standards. Smallmouth bass were present in the initial Big Lake investigation in 1951. Smallmouth were abundant in the 1960s and 1970s, but their numbers dropped off in the 1980s and 1990s, based on DNR net catches and reports from the two resorts on the lake. Similar to recent investigations, four smallmouth bass were caught in 2009 and average length was 14.1 inches (0.42 lbs). Most of the game fish examined in 2009 were free of parasites or disease. Low numbers of walleye, northern pike, and yellow perch had neascus and three of the four smallmouth bass had bass tapeworm larvae in their viscera. Two perch had yellow grub infections. Neascus (black spot), bass tapeworm, and yellow grub are common parasites that are native to the area. They are often removed by filleting and killed at temperatures used to cook fish.

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

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

Big has a maximum depth of 22 feet and a mean depth of 9 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Big is from 2019.

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