Minnesota · Big Stone County

Big Stone Lake Fishing guide

Big Stone Lake covers 11,984 acres in Big Stone County, Minnesota, reaching 16 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 4.7 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 42 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 16 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface11,984 ac

Max depth16 ft

Mean11 ft

Clarity4.7 ft

Littoral40%

Surveyed2025

How to fish Big Stone 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. A 16-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.

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. A 16-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.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Walleye	Largemouth bass	Northern pike
2025	28"	17"	39"
2024	27"	19"	36"
2023	28"	18"	29"
2022	26"	18"	35"
2021	27"	6"	33"
2020	26"	5"	29"
2019	27"	10"	36"
2018	27"	18"	31"

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

Slip Bobber + Leech

jumbo or large leech

4–20 ftdead slow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Trolling

Snap Weights + Stickbaits

4–5" suspending or slow-floating stickbait

10–35 fttrolling

Shop trolling stickbaits →

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

Wacky-Rigged Stickworm

5" stickworm

1–12 ftdead slowweedless

Shop stickworms →

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

Spinnerbait

3/8–1/2 oz safety-pin spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades

1–12 ftmoderate

Shop spinnerbaits →

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	3,000,000 fry
2024	Lake Sturgeon	2,936 fingerlings
2024	Walleye	19,887 fingerlings · 731 yearlings · 839,797
2023	Lake Sturgeon	4,005 fingerlings
2022	Lake Sturgeon	3,348 fingerlings
2021	Lake Sturgeon	4,030 fingerlings
2021	Walleye	6,000,000 fry
2019	Lake Sturgeon	4,256 fingerlings
2018	Lake Sturgeon	4,705 fingerlings
2018	Walleye	6,000,000 fry
2017	Lake Sturgeon	4,068 fingerlings
2016	Lake Sturgeon	3,036 fingerlings

Stocking records before 2016 omitted.

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2025 survey

Lake sturgeon were historically present in Big Stone Lake but had been extirpated by around 1950 likely due to winterkill, summerkill, overharvest and barriers to spawning migrations. Lake sturgeon were reintroduced in 2014 and approximately 4,000 fingerlings had been stocked annually (excluding 2020), totaling 44,500 as of 2024. Stocking will occur every third year thereafter, with the next scheduled in 2027.

This targeted survey was conducted to document the size distribution and relative abundance of lake sturgeon in Big Stone Lake. Large-mesh gill nets were used to specifically target large fish. Over a three day period during October 2025, 137 lake sturgeon were caught. Their lengths ranged from 36 to 58 inches. Thirty-four percent were 50 inches or larger. The largest sturgeon measured 58 inches and 64 pounds and was 11 years old. Stocking has been successful as sturgeon are abundant, growing fast, are in good physical condition and are frequently caught by anglers and in DNR surveys.

Read the full DNR narrative

This was a specific assessment targeting lake sturgeon so these data are not comparable to data from standard gill nets used to sample all species that are reported in other Big Stone Lake reports.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Big Stone Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Big Stone 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

All Big Stone Lake fishing reports → · Big Stone County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Big Stone Lake, #8 (trailer launch)
Big Stone Lake, Bonanza (trailer launch)
Big Stone Lake, Hornsteins (trailer launch)
Big Stone Lake, Kanne (trailer launch)
Big Stone Lake, Mallard Point (trailer launch)
Big Stone Lake, Meadowbrook, SPK Rd (trailer launch)
Big Stone Lake, Ortonville (N) (trailer launch)
Big Stone Lake, W Meadow Brook Rd (trailer launch)
Big Stone Lake Fishing Pier (fishing pier)

DNR bathymetry

Big Stone Lake depth map

Big Stone Lake depth contour map, Big Stone County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 16 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

Swenson Lake · 204 ac · 9.9 mi
Lone Tree Slough Lake · 90 ac · 12.6 mi
East Toqua Lake · 437 ac · 13.1 mi
Lannon Lake · 197 ac · 13.1 mi
Long Tom Lake · 147 ac · 14.6 mi
Traverse Lake · 10,849 ac · 19.2 mi
Big Stone NWR East Pool Lake · 1,286 ac · 20.1 mi
Long Lake · 395 ac · 22.6 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Big Stone Lake?

Big Stone Lake reaches 16 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 11 ft; about 40% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Big Stone Lake?

Big Stone Lake covers 11,984 acres with about 119.9 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Big Stone Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Big Stone Lake average 4.7 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Big Stone Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, lake sturgeon, rock bass, channel catfish, white bass.

Is Big Stone Lake stocked?

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

Does Big Stone Lake have a public access?

Yes. Big Stone Lake has 9 public access sites, including Big Stone Lake, #8 (trailer launch).

How big do walleye get in Big Stone Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 28"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2018.

When was Big Stone Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Big Stone Lake in 2025, the most recent of 42 surveys on record.

Page updated October 28, 2026.

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

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