Big Bass Lake

Big Bass Lake sits at the top of the Minnesota PCA grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Minnesota. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

A TSI value of 31 puts Big Bass Lake in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. The lake's 60 ft maximum depth is in the upper tier for Minnesota — deep enough for cold-water fish to find refuge in summer. At 133 acres, Big Bass Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 2.7 miles of shoreline. Among the 77 graded lakes in Hubbard County, Big Bass Lake ranks 19 — in the top quartile locally.

Big Bass Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2021, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 12 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at Big Bass Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been recorded 5 times at Big Bass Lake, with a median around Apr 17. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.