Big

Big Lake is a 251 acre lake located in Sherburne County within the city limits of Big Lake. It is connected to Mitchell Lake via a navigable channel. Big Lake has a maximum depth of 48 feet and a small watershed primarily composed of development, open water, and row crops. A city owned public access is located at the southwest corner of the lake near Highway 10. Big Lake is primarily managed for Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike and was last surveyed in 2004. Anglers can expect good fishing for Walleye, Northern Pike, and Largemouth Bass. No emergent or floating leaf vegetation was found in the current survey. Submerged vegetation is widespread and was surveyed in 2009; chara was the dominant species, followed by curly leaf pondweed, coontail, bushy pondweed, and northern water milfoil. Water clarity was good; Secchi depth was 12.5 feet in late July and MPCA data show a summer average of 10 feet over the last ten years. Dissolved oxygen was adequate to support fish to 21 feet in late July. Northern Pike numbers were above the expected range of values for lakes similar to Big Lake, but lower than 2004. Most pike were small; only 11% were 24 inches or longer, compared to 17% in 2004. Lengths ranged from 12.1 to 26.7 inches with an average length and weight of 20.5 inches and 1.9 pounds. Largemouth Bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing on May 19. The catch rate of 50/hr. was near the Sauk Rapids area daytime average of 43/hour. Lengths ranged from 4.7 to 18.3 inches with an average length of 11.1 inches. Of catchable size fish (>8 inches), 16% were 15 inches or longer. Walleye were stocked intermittently through 1997, but were not stocked between 1997 and 2014. Since 2014, fingerling or larger Walleye have been stocked annually by either the DNR or the lake association. The Walleye catch in 2017 was within the expected range of values for similar lakes and higher than 2004. Lengths ranged from 6.4 to 21.4 inches with an average length and weight of 16.3 inches and 1.7 pounds. Walleye ages ranged from two to four years old and growth was fast, reaching 15 inches in three years. The Bluegill catch was lower than 2004, but within the expected range of values for similar lakes. Lengths ranged from 2.8 to 8.3 inches with an average length of 5.1 inches. Targeted sampling using trap nets was conducted in late May to better assess Bluegill numbers and size. The Bluegill catch rate was higher than the standard survey and the average size was longer (5.9 inches), but the percentage of fish eight inches or longer was the same (1% in both surveys). Black Crappie numbers were low overall and similar to 2004 results. Black Crappie lengths ranged from 5.3 to 11.8 inches with an average length of 7.5 inches. Black Crappie were measured during the targeted Bluegill survey and crappie size was larger than the standard survey. Average length was 9.2 inches and 22% were ten inches or longer, compared to 10% in the standard survey. Yellow Perch numbers were very low in 2017 and have been low since 1989. Lengths ranged from 5.3 to 10 inches with a mean length of 7.1 inches. Other species sampled included: Bowfin (dogfish), Common Carp, Green and Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Bullhead. Surprisingly, Black Bullheads were caught in average numbers in 2004, but none were found in 2017. However, Yellow Bullhead numbers increased substantially.

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community was conducted by Fisheries Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff starting June 21, 2017. 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 one site sampled from the boat. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample eight sites, a 15-foot seine was used at one site, and deep water along with large-sized, rip-rap prevented the use of seines at one sampling site. Nearshore sampling captured 17 native species of fish including three species that are intolerant of disturbance (Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Mimic Shiner) and two species that are tolerant of disturbance (Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish). Data from this targeted nearshore survey is combined with trap net and gill net data from a July 2017 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 Big Lake from this survey is below an 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 Mississippi River - Saint Cloud Watershed assessment of surface waters process completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

A targeted Bluegill assessment was conducted on Big Lake from May 25 30, 2017. Targeted surveys using trap nets around spawning time can give a more accurate picture of Bluegill size structure than standard surveys conducted later in the summer. A total of 272 Bluegill were caught; lengths ranged from 2.2 to 8.4 inches with an average length of 5.9 inches. The size structure of a fish population is typically described using terms such as Proportional Stock Density (PSD) and Relative Stock Density (RSD). For Bluegill, PSD is the percentage of fish longer than three inches that are also longer than six inches. RSD 8 is the percentage of fish longer than three inches that are also longer than eight inches. Big Lake PSD was 50 and RSD 8 was 1. So 50% of Bluegill were six inches or longer and 1% were eight inches or longer. These results seem average for overall size, but poor for larger Bluegill. Recent targeted Bluegill surveys in the Sauk Rapids Area have found a PSD range from 26 to 95 and an RSD 8 range from 0 to 54. Pumpkinseed and Hybrid Sunfish were also caught; a total of 15 Pumpkinseed and 79 Hybrid Sunfish were captured. Pumpkinseed lengths ranged from 4.9 to 8.2 inches with an average length of 6.9 inches. Hybrid Sunfish lengths ranged from 3.8 to 9.5 inches with an average length of 7.1 inches. A total of 120 Black Crappie were also caught; lengths ranged from 5.2 to 11.7 inches with an average length of 9.2 inches. Black Crappie likely finished spawning earlier and were not targeted in the current survey. Bluegill grow slowly in the Sauk Rapids Area, taking up to eight years to reach eight inches. Anglers are encouraged to limit their harvest of larger Bluegill (> 8 inches) and keep smaller fish for a meal. This can help prevent stunted populations of small fish and keep larger Bluegill available. A targeted Bluegill assessment was also conducted on Mitchell Lake. The results were similar to Big Lake and can be found in a separate report.

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

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Big. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Big has a maximum depth of 48 feet and a mean depth of 17.7 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Big is from 2017. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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