Lake-specific eating adviceZebra mussels
Rice Lake
Stearns County
Walleye lake, Northern pike lake, Bass lake, Crappie lake, Sunfish lake
Big Lake
Lake-specific eating advicePublic accessStocked 2025
Big Lake is a 458-acre lake in Stearns County, 42 feet at its deepest. The DNR last surveyed its fish in 2017. Recorded species include walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and crappie.
Details
- DNR lake ID
- 73015900
- County
- Stearns
- Surface area
- 458 acres
- Maximum depth
- 42 feet
- Mean depth
- 15 feet
- Shallow water (littoral) area
- 227 acres, 50% of the lake
- Shoreline
- 7.5 miles
- Average water clarity
- 6.5 feet (Secchi disk, 2 readings)
- Nearest town (DNR)
- Richmond
- Latest DNR fish survey
- August 2017, standard survey
- Surveys on record
- 8, since 1979
- Game fish caught in the 2017 survey
- bluegill 584, largemouth bass 359, northern pike 109, walleye 82, black crappie 76, pumpkinseed 57, hybrid sunfish 30, yellow perch 15
- Fish species recorded
- black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, sunfish, walleye, yellow perch, and 21 other species
- Stocked in 2025
- black crappie yearlings (3,000); walleye fingerlings (6,074); walleye yearlings (13)
- Stocked in 2022
- walleye fingerlings (12,070); walleye fingerlings (2,784)
- Stocked in 2020
- walleye yearlings (2,500)
- Stocking years on record
- 5 of the last 10 (2017 to 2025)
- Big Lake Public Water Access Site
- trailer launch, concrete slab ramp, 1 dock, 6 trailer spaces, toilet, run by DNR Division of Parks and Trails
- Eating advice, general populations
- crappie: all sizes - 2 servings/week
- Size
- 100 to 499 acres
- Deepest point
- 30 to 59 feet
- Public access
- Yes
- Stocked in the last 3 years
- Yes
- Lake-specific eating advice
- Yes
Sources
- Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Checked September 24, 2026 - Minnesota DNR Public Water Access Sites
Checked September 24, 2026 - Minnesota Department of Health fish consumption guidelines
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.