Big Fish

Big Fish Lake, located five miles north of Cold Spring in central Stearns County, is a scenic, clear water lake that offers a variety of angling and recreational opportunities. It has a maximum depth of 70 feet and a small watershed with a high percentage of undeveloped forest and grassland and a modest amount of cultivated farmland. A public access is located on the north side of the lake with space for 24 vehicle/trailers. The lake supports a diverse aquatic plant community that provides important fish habitat as well as shoreline protection from erosion. Some of the more common submergent plant species include: coontail, northern watermilfoil, flatstem pondweed, water celery, and Canada waterweed. Emergent and floating leaf vegetation was found along 17% of the shoreline with cattail and white waterlily being the most common species. In 2025, the water quality of Big Fish Lake was good with clarity of 12 feet during the first week of August. Anglers can expect plenty of action for small Bluegill and Northern Pike, excellent Largemouth Bass fishing, as well as the potential for quality sized Black Crappie and Walleye. Northern Pike are abundant in Big Fish Lake and the population is mainly made up of smaller individuals. The gill net catch of pike was the lowest it has been since 2002, but is still consistent with lakes like Big Fish Lake. The net catch of Walleye in 2025 was less than half the expected rate for similar lakes but was similar to 2020. Walleye ranged in length from 15 to 24 inches with an average length and weight of 18 inches and 2 pounds. Walleye growth was faster than the statewide average, reaching an average of 16 inches in three years. The Largemouth Bass catch rate was lower than the Sauk Rapids Area target for daytime electrofishing, but is difficult to compare to previous surveys because those surveys were conducted at night. Fish caught ranged in length from 6 to 18 inches with an average length of 12 inches. The trap net catch of Bluegill in 2025 was less than in 2020, but the gill net catch was over two times higher than 2020. Bluegill ranged in length from 4 to 8 inches with an average length of 7 inches. Only 1% of Bluegill sampled were over 8 inches in length, continuing the trend of plentiful smaller bluegill. Black Crappies have historically been sampled in low numbers, and this survey was no different. The trap net catch in 2025 was the same as the previous survey in 2020, but the gill net catch was less than 2020. Although few were sampled, quality fish up to 12 inches were observed. Other species sampled during the survey were: Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, and Yellow Bullhead. Big Fish Lake is designated as infested with Zebra Mussels. Lake users are reminded to help reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species by remembering to pull their drain plug and drain all water from watercraft, including bilges, livewells and baitwells as well as inspect and remove any aquatic plants from watercraft and trailers.

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Big Fish Lake was conducted on June 26, 2025, by Sauk Rapids fisheries staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 14 sampling stations. A 50-foot seine was used to sample ten stations and a 15-foot seine was used at four stations. Nearshore sampling captured 25 species of fish including five species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter and Least Darter) and two that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Common Carp and Green Sunfish). The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a standard survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (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. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner and Least Darter), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead and Common Carp). 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. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Data from this survey suggests that Big Fish Lake is in good health as indicated by an FIBI score that reaches the threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Sauk River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Big Fish Lake, located 5 miles north of Cold Spring in central Stearns County, is a scenic, clear water lake that offers a variety of angling and recreational opportunities. It has a maximum depth of 70 feet and a small watershed with a high percentage of undeveloped forest and grassland and a modest amount of cultivated farmland. A public access is located on the north side of the lake and offers two tiers of parking. The lake supports a diverse aquatic plant community that provide important fish habitat as well as shoreline protection from erosion. Some of the more common submergent plant species include: coontail, northern watermilfoil, flatstem pondweed, water celery, and Canada waterweed. Emergent and floating leaf vegetation was found along 17% of the shoreline with cattail and white waterlily being the most common species. In 2020, the water quality of Big Fish Lake was excellent with clarity of 30 feet during the first week of August. Anglers can expect plenty of action for small Bluegill and Northern Pike, excellent Largemouth Bass fishing, as well as the potential for quality sized Black Crappie and Walleye. Northern Pike are abundant in Big Fish Lake and consist mainly of small "hammer handles". The gill net catch of pike was very similar to 2015 and average size remained small. The net catch of Walleye in 2020 was less than half the expected rate for similar lakes but was similar to 2015. Walleye ranged in length from 7 to 24 inches with an average length and weight of 18 inches and 2.7 pounds. Growth rates of Walleye appear good but are limited by small sample sizes. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Largemouth Bass were not sampled in 2020. However, previous electrofishing assessments have yielded catch rates at or above the average for other lakes in the Sauk Rapids Management Area. Largemouth Bass sampled in the summer gill nets and trap nets ranged in length from five to 15 inches with an average length of 11 inches. The Bluegill catch in 2020 was lower than 2015 but still within the expected range. Big Fish Lake does not have a history of producing large sunfish, but some larger Bluegills were sampled in 2020. Bluegill sampled ranged in length from six to nine inches; however only 2% of the catch were longer than eight inches. Black Crappies have historically been sampled in low numbers and this was the case again in 2020. Although few were sampled, quality fish up to 11 inches were observed. Big Fish Lake is designated as infested with Zebra Mussels. Lake users are reminded to help reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species by remembering to pull their drain plug and drain all water from watercraft, including bilges, livewells and baitwells as well as inspect and remove any aquatic plants from watercraft and trailers.

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

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

Big Fish has a maximum depth of 70 feet and a mean depth of 26.4 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Big Fish is from 2025.

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