Big Stone Lake

Details

DNR lake ID

06015200

County

Big Stone

Surface area

11,984 acres

Maximum depth

16 feet

Mean depth

11 feet

Shallow water (littoral) area

4,795 acres, 40% of the lake

Shoreline

119.9 miles

Average water clarity

4.7 feet (Secchi disk, 31 readings)

Border water

Shared with South Dakota

Nearest town (DNR)

Ortonville

Latest DNR fish survey

October 2025, targeted survey

Surveys on record

42, since 1981

Game fish caught in the 2025 survey

lake sturgeon 137

Fish species recorded

black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, crappie, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake sturgeon, largemouth bass, northern pike, orangespotted sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass, sunfish, walleye, white bass, white crappie, yellow perch, and 36 other species

Stocked in 2025

walleye fry (3,000,000)

Stocked in 2024

lake sturgeon fingerlings (2,936); walleye fingerlings (18,263); walleye fingerlings (1,624); walleye yearlings (731); walleye (839,797)

Stocked in 2023

lake sturgeon fingerlings (4,005)

Stocking years on record

9 of the last 10 (2016 to 2025)

Big Stone Lake, Ortonville (N) Public Water Access Site

trailer launch, concrete slab ramp, 1 dock, 5 trailer spaces, toilet, run by City of Ortonville

Big Stone Lake, W Meadow Brook Rd Public Water Access Site

trailer launch, concrete slab ramp, 1 dock, 15 trailer spaces, toilet, run by DNR Division of Parks and Trails

Big Stone Lake, #8 Public Water Access Site

trailer launch, concrete slab ramp, 2 docks, 66 trailer spaces, toilet, run by City of Ortonville

Big Stone Lake, Mallard Point Public Water Access Site

trailer launch, concrete slab ramp, 1 dock, 28 trailer spaces, toilet, run by DNR Division of Parks and Trails

More public accesses

4

Infested waters list

zebra mussel

Fish consumption

Follow the statewide guidelines; fish from this lake have been tested

Size

2,000 acres or more

Deepest point

15 to 29 feet

Public access

Yes

Stocked in the last 3 years

Yes

Sources

• Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
  Checked September 24, 2026
• Minnesota DNR Public Water Access Sites
  Checked September 24, 2026

Survey catches show what DNR nets and electrofishing found on the survey date, not how the fishing is today. Check the current regulations and the Department of Health advice before you keep fish, and confirm access conditions before you tow a boat.