Minnesota · St. Louis County
Big Rice Lake Fishing guide
Big Rice Lake sits in St. Louis County, Minnesota, and covers 1,917 acres, reaching 5 ft at its deepest point. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 1 time, most recently in 1982, with northern pike and yellow perch in the nets. That survey is 44 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
The DNR last surveyed Big Rice Lake in 1982. Ratings need a survey from the last 20 years, so this page lists the species from that older record without numbers.
- Northern pike
- Yellow perch
How to fish Big Rice Lake through the year
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth.
- 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. With 96% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops. A 5-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
Yellow perch
- Spring
- Perch are draping eggs over flooded cover and weed stems on the shallow flats.
- Early summer
- Perch are spread over sand-grass flats and the first weed edges in loose packs.
- Summer
- Perch are over deeper soft-bottom flats and the basin, on the bottom and in schools. With 96% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Perch are roaming the mid-depth flats in loose schools, chasing young-of-year bait while it is still shallow. A 5-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
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:
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
Yellow perch · Soft plastics
Curly-Tail Grub on Jig
3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead
Yellow perch · Soft plastics
Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic
1–1.5" micro plastic
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 1982 survey
Big Rice Lake contains above average populations of northern pike, yellow perch and suckers.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Big Rice Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Big Rice 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 Rice Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Big Rice Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Pfeiffer Lake · 60 ac · 3.8 mi
- James Lake · 18 ac · 6.1 mi
- Auto Lake · 97 ac · 6.8 mi
- Sand Lake · 779 ac · 7.4 mi
- Pike River Flowage · 214 ac · 7.5 mi
- Little Sand Lake · 96 ac · 8.3 mi
- Lost Lake · 752 ac · 9.6 mi
- Fourteen Lake · 386 ac · 10.9 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Big Rice Lake?
Big Rice Lake reaches 5 ft at its deepest point; about 96% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Big Rice Lake?
Big Rice Lake covers 1,917 acres with about 8.5 miles of shoreline.
What fish are in Big Rice Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 1982) record northern pike, yellow perch.
Is Big Rice Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Big Rice Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Big Rice Lake have a public access?
Yes. Big Rice Lake has one public access site: Big Rice Lake (trailer launch).
When was Big Rice Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Big Rice Lake in 1982. That is more than 20 years ago, so this page lists species without ratings.
Page updated .
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