Minnesota · Sherburne County

Big Lake Fishing guide

Big Lake covers 254 acres in Sherburne County, Minnesota, reaching 48 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 12.5 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 8 times, most recently in 2017, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 9 years old now.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 48 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface254 ac

Max depth48 ft

Mean17.7 ft

Clarity12.5 ft

Littoral43%

Surveyed2017

How to fish Big Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. At 12.5 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
Early summer: Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
Summer: Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure. On a lake that drops to 48 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.

Largemouth bass

Spring: Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. At 12.5 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. On a lake that drops to 48 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.

Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Walleye	Largemouth bass	Northern pike
2017	21"	18"	26"
2004	25"	19"	29"
1994	29"	15"	25"

Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.

Suggested tackle

What to bring

Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:

Walleye · Live bait

Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler

jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler

8–35 ftslow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Trolling

Leadcore Line + Crankbaits

4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run

15–45 fttrolling

Shop deep-diving crankbaits →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

Shop plastic worms →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Free Rig

Creature bait or magnum finesse worm

8–30 ftdead slowweedless

Shop creature baits →

Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead

3–25 ftmoderate

Shop paddletail swimbaits →

Northern pike · Jigs & bladed

Inline Spinner (Mepps/Blue Fox)

#2–#4 in-line spinner

1–10 ftmoderate

Shop inline spinners →

Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DNR stocking records

Stocking history

Year	Species	Stocked
2025	Walleye	235 yearlings
2024	Walleye	1,405 fingerlings
2023	Walleye	2,700 fingerlings
2022	Walleye	3,300 fingerlings
2020	Walleye	170 adults
2019	Walleye	254 fingerlings · 2 yearlings
2018	Walleye	315 fingerlings · 123 adults
2017	Walleye	1,510 fingerlings
2016	Walleye	375 fingerlings · 562 yearlings

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2017 survey

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.

Read the full DNR narrative

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.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Big Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Big 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.

Open the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report

Sherburne County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Big Lake (trailer launch)
Big Lake Fishing Pier (fishing pier)

DNR bathymetry

Big Lake depth map

Big Lake depth contour map, Sherburne County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 48 ft from Minnesota DNR bathymetry, free to save or print. The live map adds ranked spots and conditions on the same contours.

Within 30 miles

Nearby lakes

Mitchell Lake · 170 ac · 0.5 mi
Eagle Lake · 462 ac · 3.7 mi
First Lake · 17 ac · 4.7 mi
Birch Lake · 160 ac · 4.9 mi
Mud Lake · 33 ac · 5 mi
Long Lake · 96 ac · 5.6 mi
Bertram Lake · 111 ac · 5.9 mi
Ann Lake · 183 ac · 6.6 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Big Lake?

Big Lake reaches 48 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 17.7 ft; about 43% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Big Lake?

Big Lake covers 254 acres with about 2.4 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Big Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Big Lake average 12.5 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Big Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2017) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.

Is Big Lake stocked?

Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2016.

Does Big Lake have a public access?

Yes. Big Lake has 2 public access sites, including Big Lake (trailer launch).

How big do walleye get in Big Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 21"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1994.

When was Big Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Big Lake in 2017, the most recent of 8 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.

Page updated October 28, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Big Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Big Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report