Big Marine Lake

Location:

Seven miles east of the City of Forest Lake. 

Species Present:

Largemouth Bass: above average abundance, above average size
Northern Pike: above average abundance, small average size.
Walleye: average abundance, average size.
Bluegill: above average abundance, above average size.
Crappie: average abundance, average size with some larger ones present.
Bullhead species: average abundance, average size.
Yellow Perch: average abundance, small average size.

Boat Access:

  • DNR north access: North end of lake on Mayberry Trail west of Lofton.
  • DNR south access: Sound end of lake, end of 177th street west of May Ave. This is a shallow, unimproved site that may not be suitable for larger boats.
  • Washington County Park: West side of lake, Lomand Trail N. east of Manning (Co. Rd 15). Formerly Shady Birch Resort. There is a fee to enter the park, but no charge to launch the boat.
  • Veteran's Rest Camp: Private facility. Access limited to registered guests. Access off Manning Trail N. 

Additional Winter Access:

West shore of lake: East of Manning on 185th Street. 

Shore Fishing:

Shore fishing is limited on Big Marine. There is a fishing pier within the county park, just south of the boat access. Some anglers fish from shore near the outlet on the north shore of County Rd. 4. Parking is limited and the lake is quite shallow at this location. 

Special Regulation:

This lake has a special regulation of a 10-fish daily limit for Sunfish.

Management Plans:

  1. Fisheries targeted lake survey in 2022.
  2. Stock 1,152 pounds of Walleye annually. 

Aquatic Invasive Species Alert:

This lake contains Eurasian watermilfoil. Remove any visible plants from your boat, trailer, or other boating equipment before leaving the lake. 

Comments:

Big Marine has arguably the best Largemouth Bass fishing in the east metro area. Northern Pike are abundant, but small. Walleye are present, but do not bite very well. Bluegills that are above average size can be found as well as nice Black Crappie. Good water quality and abundance of natural shoreline make Big Marine a popular location. Winter fishing is often limited by snow as most anglers have to travel long distances from access points to reach their fishing locations. Beginning in 2021 a new regulation for sunfish went into effect and the daily limit from Big Marine Lake is now 10 sunfish. This regulation is part of the Quality Sunfish Initiative that is working to protect and improve the size of sunfish in our lakes.

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