Minnesota · Pine County
Big Pine Lake Fishing guide
Big Pine Lake is a 399-acre lake in Pine County, Minnesota, reaching 25 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 4.9 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 12 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
WalleyeLast stocked 2025Fair numbers2per gill net12"Typical23"Biggest
Lengths measured · 24 fish
Recent · 2022 + 2025Lengths measured · 10 fish
2025Lengths measured · 4 fish
2025Only 4 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 32 fish
2023Lengths measured · 20 fish
2022Largemouth bassJust a few10.9per hr (electrofishing)15"Typical19"Biggest
Lengths measured · 27 fish
Recent · 2022Lengths measured · 27 fish
2022Lengths measured · 53 fish
2014Lengths measured · 30 fish
2009Lengths measured · 87 fish
2004No recent survey rating.
Northern pikeJust a few1.8per gill net25"Typical32"Biggest
Lengths measured · 19 fish
Recent · 2022 + 2025Lengths measured · 1 fish
2025Only 1 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 18 fish
2022Lengths measured · 21 fish
2014Lengths measured · 43 fish
2009BluegillJust a few10.1per trap net6"Typical18"Biggest
Lengths measured · 216 fish
Recent · 2022 + 2025Lengths measured · 128 fish
2025Lengths measured · 88 fish
2022Lengths measured · 152 fish
2014Lengths measured · 130 fish
2009CrappieJust a few2.2per trap net8"Typical11"Biggest
Lengths measured · 63 fish
Recent · 2022 + 2025Lengths measured · 18 fish
2025Lengths measured · 45 fish
2022Lengths measured · 85 fish
2014Lengths measured · 70 fish
2009Yellow perchOne of the best around45.8per gill net6"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 473 fish
Recent · 2022 + 2025Lengths measured · 59 fish
2025Lengths measured · 414 fish
2022Lengths measured · 558 fish
2014Lengths measured · 289 fish
2009Rates 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 Pine Lake through the year
Walleye
- Spring
- Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 23" | — | 13" |
| 2023 | 10" | — | — |
| 2022 | 23" | 19" | 32" |
| 2014 | 27" | 18" | 35" |
| 2009 | — | 19" | 34" |
| 2004 | 26" | 18" | 28" |
| 1999 | 23" | 20" | 35" |
| 1994 | 28" | 18" | 32" |
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 · Trolling
Snap Weights + Stickbaits
4–5" suspending or slow-floating stickbait
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 · Jigs & bladed
Spinnerbait
3/8–1/2 oz safety-pin spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades
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 | 33,750 fry |
| 2024 | Walleye | 33,750 fry · 387 fingerlings · 1,035 yearlings |
| 2023 | Walleye | 33,750 fry |
| 2022 | Walleye | 2,950 fingerlings · 3 yearlings |
| 2021 | Walleye | 1,440 fingerlings |
| 2020 | Walleye | 2,992 fingerlings |
| 2018 | Walleye | 5,764 fingerlings |
| 2016 | Walleye | 4,934 fingerlings · 75 yearlings |
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2025 survey
Big Pine Lake is a 387-acre lake in northwestern Pine County located eleven miles northwest of Sandstone and is within the Kettle River Watershed. The lake has a maximum depth of 25 ft and 35% of the lake is 15 feet or less (135 littoral acres). It is a steep sided narrow basin that lies in a northeast/southwest direction. Walleye fry were stocked into Big Pine Lake on May 2, 2025. The stocking rate was 250 fry per littoral acre (250*135) which equals 33,750 fry. This stocking rate has occurred annually since 2023. The fry were LMS (Lower Mississippi Strain), a local genetic strain sourced from the Knife River in April. Stocking the LMS strain fry was initiated in 2023. Walleye fingerlings are also stocked in even-numbered years at a rate of 1.3 pounds per littoral acre (176 pounds), which was initiated in 2018. Fingerlings have the MIS genetic strain (Mississippi River).
Big Pine Lake was electrofished on the night of October 30, 2025 to evaluate the relative abundance of juvenile Walleye. Water temperatures were 52 °F. Nine 10-minute stations were sampled. These stations were established in the fall of 2025 to conform with standardized statewide protocols. No age-0 walleyes were sampled in 2025. Sampling zero age-0 walleyes has been observed in 3/7 years sampled. The average catch rate is 6/hour.
Read the full DNR narrative
We attempted to net all walleye observed. Ten age-1 and older Walleye were sampled at a rate of 6/hour. They ranged from 10.5 to 18.8 inches. Age-1 and -2 Walleye were most frequently sampled and ranged in length from 10.2 to 12.8 inches. The possibility of natural Walleye reproduction makes fry stockings contribution to the Walleye year classes unknown.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Big Pine Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Big Pine 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 Pine Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Big Pine Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Pine Lake · 378 ac · 2.1 mi
- Upper Pine Lake · 233 ac · 2.1 mi
- Bass Lake · 229 ac · 3.8 mi
- Fish Lake · 185 ac · 5.1 mi
- Eleven Lake · 315 ac · 5.1 mi
- Indian Lake · 77 ac · 5.3 mi
- Grindstone Lake · 533 ac · 6.2 mi
- Five Lake · 44 ac · 6.2 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Big Pine Lake?
Big Pine Lake reaches 25 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 15 ft; about 34% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Big Pine Lake?
Big Pine Lake covers 399 acres with about 5.8 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Big Pine Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Big Pine Lake average 4.9 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Big Pine Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is Big Pine Lake stocked?
Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2016.
Does Big Pine Lake have a public access?
Yes. Big Pine Lake has one public access site: Big Pine Lake (trailer launch).
How big do walleye get in Big Pine Lake?
The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 23"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1994.
When was Big Pine Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Big Pine Lake in 2025, the most recent of 12 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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