Minnesota · Itasca County
Big Dick Lake Fishing guide
Big Dick Lake sits in Itasca County, Minnesota, and covers 260 acres, reaching 20 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 10.5 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 2 times, most recently in 2008, with largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and crappie in the nets. That survey is 18 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
Largemouth bassPresent0.8per trap net14"Typical18"Biggest
Lengths measured · 24 fish
Northern pikeJust a few5.3per gill net23"Typical32"Biggest
Lengths measured · 37 fish
BluegillGood numbers57.1per trap net7"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 542 fish
CrappieJust a few2.2per trap net9"Typical12"Biggest
Lengths measured · 54 fish
Yellow perchExcellent numbers16per gill net6"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 96 fish
Rock bassGood numbers1.2per gill net7"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 12 fish
Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Big Dick Lake through the year
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. At 10.5 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- Early summer
- Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
- Summer
- Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 10.5 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- Early summer
- Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
- Summer
- Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Wacky-Rigged Stickworm
5" stickworm
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Yellow perch · Soft plastics
Curly-Tail Grub on Jig
3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead
Yellow perch · Live bait
Slip Bobber + Leech
jumbo or large leech
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2008 survey
Big Dick Lake is located about five miles northeast of Marcell, MN, and within the Chippewa National Forest. The lake is 249 acres in size of which 152 acres is littoral. The lake has a maximum depth of 20 feet and has about 3 miles of shoreline. There is a U.S. Forest Service carry-in access in the northeast corner.
The northern pike catch rate was near the expected range for lakes similar to Big Dick and similar to the previous assessment. A moderate pike fishery exists with an average length of almost 24 inches being sampled in gill nets. Lengths ranged from 17 to 32 inches. Growth was similar to the statewide average except ages 3-5, which exceeded it. Northern pike averaged 24 inches by age 4.
Read the full DNR narrative
The gill net catch rate for black crappie was above the expected range, similar to the previous assessment. Black crappie were sampled in trap nets at a rate within the lake class expected range. Size structure appears good indicating a quality fishery exists. Lengths ranged from 4.4-12.4 inches with an average length of 8.6 inches in the gill net sample. Growth was slow early, but was near the statewide average by age 3. Black crappie averaged over 10 inches by age 6.
Largemouth bass were sampled at a rate exceeding the lake class expected range, while the trap net catch rate was within the expected range. Size structure appears moderate with a gill net average length of almost 14 inches. Lengths ranged from 9.6-18.9 inches.
Bluegill were the most abundant fish sampled in trap nets, exceeding the expected range. Size structure was poor, dominated by fish less than eight inches (98%). Lengths ranged from 3.5-8.4 inches with an average length of 6.9 inches. Growth was similar to the average for lake class 29.
Yellow perch were the most abundant fish sampled in gill nets, within the expected range. Size structure was poor with the longest fish sampled being 9.5 inches. Of the 96 perch sampled in gill nets, 95% were less than eight inches, and of little interest to anglers.
Other species sampled include golden shiner, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass, and white sucker.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Big Dick Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Big Dick Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Big Dick Lake (carry-in)
DNR bathymetry
Big Dick Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Burns Lake · 181 ac · 0.7 mi
- Jack the Horse Lake · 364 ac · 1.2 mi
- Clubhouse Lake · 265 ac · 1.9 mi
- Three Island Lake · 250 ac · 2.3 mi
- Johnson Lake · 304 ac · 2.3 mi
- Batson Lake · 114 ac · 2.4 mi
- East Lake · 192 ac · 2.8 mi
- Big Island Lake · 244 ac · 2.8 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Big Dick Lake?
Big Dick Lake reaches 20 ft at its deepest point; about 59% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Big Dick Lake?
Big Dick Lake covers 260 acres with about 3.1 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Big Dick Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Big Dick Lake average 10.5 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Big Dick Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2008) record largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is Big Dick Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Big Dick Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Big Dick Lake have a public access?
Yes. Big Dick Lake has one public access site: Big Dick Lake (carry-in).
How big do largemouth bass get in Big Dick Lake?
The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 18".
When was Big Dick Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Big Dick Lake in 2008, the most recent of 2 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
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