Minnesota · Stearns County
Big Spunk Lake Fishing guide
Big Spunk Lake covers 415 acres in Stearns County, Minnesota, reaching 38 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 9.7 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 10 times, most recently in 2023, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
WalleyeLast stocked 2024Fair numbers2.2per gill net19"Typical27"Biggest
Lengths measured · 13 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 13 fish
2023Lengths measured · 14 fish
2016Lengths measured · 11 fish
2008Lengths measured · 37 fish
1998Largemouth bassFair numbers38.4per hr (electrofishing)11"Typical21"Biggest
Lengths measured · 86 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 84 fish
2023Lengths measured · 2 fish
2023Only 2 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 155 fish
2016Lengths measured · 119 fish
2008No recent survey rating.
Northern pikeOne of the best around20.7per gill net20"Typical33"Biggest
Lengths measured · 128 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 123 fish
2023Lengths measured · 5 fish
2023Only 5 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 89 fish
2016Lengths measured · 78 fish
2008BluegillJust a few19.2per trap net4"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 382 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 296 fish
2023Lengths measured · 86 fish
2023Lengths measured · 410 fish
2016Lengths measured · 532 fish
2008CrappieJust a few1.3per trap net7"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 27 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 16 fish
2023Lengths measured · 11 fish
2023Lengths measured · 38 fish
2016Lengths measured · 39 fish
2008Rock bassGood numbers1per seine haul6"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 10 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 8 fish
2023Only 8 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 2 fish
2023Only 2 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 6 fish
2016Only 6 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 12 fish
2008No recent survey rating.
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 Spunk 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.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.
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.
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 | Northern pike | Walleye | Largemouth bass |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 33" | 27" | 21" |
| 2016 | 29" | 26" | 19" |
| 2008 | 35" | 28" | 19" |
| 1998 | 27" | 20" | 18" |
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:
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
Walleye · Live bait
Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler
jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler
Walleye · Trolling
Leadcore Line + Crankbaits
4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Free Rig
Creature bait or magnum finesse worm
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | 726 fingerlings · 935 yearlings |
| 2022 | Walleye | 5,070 fingerlings |
| 2020 | Walleye | 2,250 yearlings |
| 2018 | Walleye | 878 yearlings |
| 2016 | Walleye | 115 fingerlings · 414 yearlings |
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2023 survey
Big (Upper) Spunk Lake is a 440-acre lake located within a mile of the City of Avon in Stearns County. Big Spunk Lake has a maximum depth of 38 feet and an average summer water clarity of 10 feet. Oxygen levels were adequate for sport fish to a depth of 19 feet during the last week of June. Big Spunk Lake has a diverse aquatic plant community growing in dense beds around the lake out to a depth of 16 feet with Chara and coontail being the most common species. There is one public access on the northwest shore of the lake with parking available for six vehicle/trailer combinations as well as a dock and portable toilet. The Big Spunk Lake watershed is moderate in size and covers about 15,000 acres. Land use practices within the watershed consisted of 29% forest, 25% agriculture, 14% hay/pasture, 14% wetland, 11% open water,6% residential, and 1% grassland. Near shore Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) sampling and emergent and floating leaf vegetation mapping were also completed to evaluate the physical habitat of Big Spunk Lake. Emergent and floating leaf vegetation covered approximately 73% of the shoreline with cattail and yellow waterlily being the most common. A standard summer survey was conducted in 2023 to monitor any changes in the fishery since the last survey conducted in 2016.
The gill net catch of Northern Pike remained high and was above the normal range of expected values as well as above the long-term average for Big Spunk Lake. Pike ranged from 12 to 33 inches and averaged 21 inches and 1.6 pounds. Only 12% percent of Northern Pike sampled were longer than 26 inches. Anglers are encouraged to harvest the small pike (under 22 inches) and release the larger ones to help achieve a more balanced fish community and to improve growth rates. Lower pike numbers may also increase Walleye stocking success and allow Yellow Perch numbers (which are low) to increase. Higher perch populations are desirable as they are an important prey species for both Walleye and Northern Pike.
Read the full DNR narrative
Big Spunk Lake has been stocked with Walleye fingerlings every other year for several decades. The gill net catch of Walleye in 2023 was similar to the 2016 survey and was within the range of what we would expect to see for similar lakes. Walleye ranged in length from 15 to 28 inches and averaged 19 inches and 2.6 pounds. Growth was fast compared to statewide averages, taking four years to reach 18 inches.
There is an excellent Largemouth Bass population with a wide range of sizes available to anglers including fish up to 21 inches. A total of 72 Largemouth Bass were sampled in 1.6 hours of electrofishing in June 2023. This was just below the average daytime catch rate for lakes in the Sauk Rapids Management Area. Of the catchable size Largemouth Bass (> 8 inches), 51% were longer than 12 inches and 14% were longer than 15 inches. Although not collected in this survey, Smallmouth Bass are also found in low numbers in Big Spunk Lake.
The Bluegill trap net catch decreased in 2023 but remained within the range of expected values for lakes similar to Big Spunk. Bluegill only averaged five inches and fish over eight inches comprised only two percent of the sample. Anglers can expect to catch smaller Bluegill on Big Spunk with an occasional larger one mixed in.
The Black Crappie catch also decreased from 2016 and fell below the long-term average for the lake. Fish ranged in length from four to ten inches with an average length of seven inches. Black Crappie catches are known to fluctuate widely depending on the success of spawning which is largely dependent on environmental factors.
In 2023, 11 Tullibee were sampled in gill nets. While common in Middle Spunk Lake, this marks the first time since 1998 that Tullibee were sampled in Big Spunk, and the most ever sampled in a single survey. Other species sampled in low numbers during this survey included: Black Bullhead, Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Tullibee (Cisco), White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.
Changes in shoreline development have the potential to negatively affect the health of a lake. It is important that all lake shore owners follow County shoreline rules and only mow a small area down to the lake to allow access and avoid clearing their entire shoreline. Native vegetation helps stabilize shoreline soils and acts as a buffer reducing the amount of pollution that enters a lake from runoff.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Big Spunk Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Big Spunk 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 Spunk Lake, N (trailer launch)
- Big Spunk Lake County Park (carry-in)
DNR bathymetry
Big Spunk Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Kreigle Lake · 102 ac · 1 mi
- Middle Spunk Lake · 236 ac · 1.1 mi
- Linneman Lake · 110 ac · 1.3 mi
- Kalla Lake · 106 ac · 1.8 mi
- Lower Spunk Lake · 179 ac · 1.9 mi
- Pitts Lake · 114 ac · 2.2 mi
- Ochotto Lake · 40 ac · 2.3 mi
- Minnie Lake · 27 ac · 2.8 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Big Spunk Lake?
Big Spunk Lake reaches 38 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 15.9 ft; about 36% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Big Spunk Lake?
Big Spunk Lake covers 415 acres with about 4.9 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Big Spunk Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Big Spunk Lake average 9.7 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Big Spunk Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2023) record walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass, channel catfish.
Is Big Spunk Lake stocked?
Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2024; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2016.
Does Big Spunk Lake have a public access?
Yes. Big Spunk Lake has 2 public access sites, including Big Spunk Lake, N (trailer launch).
How big do northern pike get in Big Spunk Lake?
The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 33"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1998.
When was Big Spunk Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Big Spunk Lake in 2023, the most recent of 10 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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