Big Pine Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota4,728 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Pine Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- zebra mussel
- 76 ft max depth
- Public access
Big Pine Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 26 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 76 ft. Surface area: 4728.22 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 2, 2025 caught 16.54 black crappie per hour of electrofishing at Big Pine Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Big Pine Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 70 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Big Pine Lake is a 4,728-acre mesotrophic lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 76 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 20 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 65 other monitored lakes in Otter Tail County, Big Pine Lake ranks #56 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Big Pine Lake covers about 4,700 acres in Otter Tail County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 24, which is when the open-water season begins. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Big Pine Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Big Pine Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing20 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 24
- Deep water76 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water4,728 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Big Pine Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Big Pine Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Big Pine Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Big Pine Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.7 ft. Phosphorus 26 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 26µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 8µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Big Pine Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Big Pine Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 71°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 74°F) and coldest in May (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (74°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 157 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Big Pine Lake water temperature breakdown →
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Big Pine Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was moderate (21,878 cells/mL) on November 22, 2025.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 2, 2025 caught 16.54 black crappie per hour of electrofishing at Big Pine Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Big Pine Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
15 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-06-02 (Targeted Survey).
15 surveys on file · most recent 2025-06-02 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 37.80 | 4–9 in 2023-07-17 | 0.12 lb |
| White Sucker | 31.24 | 6–20 in 2023-07-17 | 1.65 lb |
| Walleye | 17.99 | 7–26 in 2023-07-17 | 1.65 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 9.76 | ||
| Pumpkinseed | 6.52 | 2–7 in 2022-06-08 | 0.22 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Yellow Perch
White Sucker
Walleye
Pumpkinseed
From the 2025-06-02 survey
Big Pine Lake is a 4,730-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in northeastern Otter Tail County approximately three miles east of Perham, MN. Big Pine Lake is part of the Otter Tail River Watershed and is connected to Little Pine and Rush Lakes via the Otter Tail River. The Otter Tail River inlet is…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Big Pine Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — Big PineFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — Big PinePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
76 ft
Surface area
4,728 acres
Shoreline
14.6 mi
Littoral zone
50%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
552 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,319 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Big Pine Lake (West)Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Big Pine Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Big Pine Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Big Pine Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Big Pine Lake → · more Minnesota lake trips
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Big Pine Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.09 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-1.15 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 24
Earliest Mar 30, 2016 · Latest May 7, 2022
Typical ice-in
Nov 22
Earliest Oct 16, 2002 · Latest Dec 1, 2006
Most recent ice-out
May 4
2023
28 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Big Pine Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Big Pine Lake (completed 1937), built primarily for recreation on the Otter Tail River; gravity-type dam, 10 ft tall and 235 ft long.
- Surface area
- 4,644 ac
- Normal storage
- 77,120 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 91,580 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 560 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MNDNR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00212 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Big Pine Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN56-0130-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Otter Tail County
Frequently asked questions about Big Pine Lake
Where is Big Pine Lake?
- Big Pine Lake is a lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Big Pine Lake?
- Big Pine Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 26 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 76 ft. Surface area: 4728.22 acres.
Is Big Pine Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Big Pine Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Big Pine Lake?
- Big Pine Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September, from 157 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Big Pine Lake?
- Big Pine Lake has a maximum depth of 76 feet. The lake covers 4728.22 acres.
What fish are in Big Pine Lake?
- Fish species found in Big Pine Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, burbot, common carp, freshwater drum, hybrid sunfish, lake sturgeon, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Big Pine Lake is located in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Big Pine Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 2, 2025 caught 16.54 black crappie per hour of electrofishing at Big Pine Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Big Pine Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Big Pine Lake thaw?
- Big Pine Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 24. Ice typically forms around Nov 22. The open water season is approximately 212 days.
Does Big Pine Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Big Pine Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was moderate (21,878 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Are there boat ramps on Big Pine Lake?
- Big Pine Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Big Pine Lake (West). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Big Pine Lake?
- Big Pine Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Big Pine Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
305 measurements from 6 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA305 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (6)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate