Big Pine Lake

How big is Big Pine Lake?

How deep is Big Pine Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Big Pine Lake?

What are the closest cities to Big Pine Lake?

Are there topographical lake maps available Big Pine Lake?

We have an topograpical map for online viewing near the top of this page. Lake-Link Pro users can download an print a topograpical map of Big Pine Lake (.pdf format) along with 2,700 more lake maps. For more information on all the benefits of Lake-Link Pro click here.

Big Pine Lake

Are there boat launches on Big Pine Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Big Pine Lake?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Big Pine Lake?

Big Pine Lake is a moderately clear water lake located in southwestern Aitkin County and is part of the Mille Lacs/Rum River watershed. There is a state-owned public access located on the south side of the lake. Big Pine Lake has a variety of habitats available to the angler from open, wind-swept gravel and rock to areas of heavy vegetation. Shorelines vary from areas with gentle slopes and shallow depths to areas with sharp drop-offs and deep water. Mid-water areas consist primarily of deep water, but there are several gravel bars with steep sides that rise to within a few feet of the surface.

Gamefish species available to anglers include Walleye, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Bluegill and both Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. Though there are some favorable spawning areas for Walleye, and minimal natural reproduction does occur, historically the better year classes have been those supplemented by stocking. Walleye have been stocked with varying success in Big Pine Lake since the early 1900's. Due to poor returns from stocked fry in the late 1990's and early 2000's, fingerling stocking resumed and were stocked annually from 2004-2007. Big Pine Lake then became part of a statewide research project to evaluate to effectiveness of stocking Walleye frylings, which are an intermediate size between fry and fingerlings, and were stocked in 2008 and 2010. Test nets in 2011 and 2103 suggested fryling stocking at Big Pine Lake were less successful than fingerlings. Current management has reverted to annual fingerling stocking. Overall, the Walleye gill net catch rate has been stable and has averaged about 4/net the last four surveys. Although slightly below the average in 2021 (3.4/net) and is slightly below the management goal of 5 per net, it is still about normal for this type of lake. The mean length was 16.3 inches, and fish up to 27.1 inches were sampled. Nine-year classes were present indicating good survival of stocked fish and meeting current management objectives. Additionally, a higher than usual amount of Walleye were observed in the trap nets (1.25/net) and they averaged almost 20 inches. Walleye fingerling survival will continue to be evaluated in future surveys.

The gillnet catch rate for Northern Pike has not varied much in survey history but did increase to 4.3/net in 2021, which is slightly above the long-term average of 3.4/net spanning 13 surveys back to 1956. This is normal for this lake type and meets the current management goal of 2 - 6/net. A wide range of sizes and ages were found with 7 of 51 (13%) fish being longer than 26 inches. The size structure is typically favorable and was again with an average length of 21.9 inches and fish up to 38.7 inches being sampled. The management goal of achieving an average size of 24 inches was not met but the size structure was still decent. The best way to maximize the benefits of this quality pike fishery is for anglers to recycle these fish. That way, more than one individual can experience the catching of a quality pike.

The Largemouth Bass catch rate was 2.5/net in 2021 and has been stable at about that level for the last 20 years. The mean length of Largemouth Bass was 11.6 inches with individuals up to 15.1 inches. Electrofishing for Largemouth Bass was also completed in 2021 and yielded a catch rate of 66/hour, which indicates good abundance. The size structure matched what was observed in the gill nets. A previous electrofishing survey in 2002 had similar results (68/hour) further indicating a stable population. Smallmouth Bass are known to be present in small numbers in Big Pine Lake, however few have been observed in traditional sampling gear, and only one was observed from a trap net in 2021. Several juvenile Smallmouth Bass were also observed in the nearshore assessment (see the 7/06/2021 Targeted Assessment).

The Bluegill trap net catch rate was low again at 3.2/net, when compared to the long-term average of 26/net and was a decrease from the previous survey in 2016 (10.9/net). Catch rates for Hybrid Sunfish were double that of Bluegill in 2021. Hybrids have a slight edge on the Bluegills in terms of size structure with a mean size of 6.6 inches, with individuals measuring out to 8.8 inches. They typically account for the majority of the sunfish over 8 inches in the Big Pine Lake fish community. Although spawning habitat and escape cover is not limited, Bluegills appear to be increasing the frequency with which they spawn with other species, which might partly explain the decrease in abundance. The decline appears to be independent to the Walleye stocking regime since the decline continued during the period of fry stocking when Walleye survival (and potential predation) was very low. Bluegill growth rates appear to be improving and are starting to approach average growth rates for the area and so we may start to see greater contributions of Bluegills to the quality sizes over 8 inches.

Nice sized Black Crappies are also present in the fishery, but traditionally their abundance is low. Black Crappie did show an increase in abundance in the gill nets, from less than 0.5/net in 2016 to 2.1/net in 2021. The increase is primarily from a good year class of 3-year-old fish from the 2018 year class that are currently in the system, and which made up about fifty percent of the sample. They are growing well averaging 8.1 inches by age 3.

What is the average air temp for Big Pine Lake?

Are there any state parks near Big Pine Lake?