Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest April 16, 2025
Species recorded at Lake Winnibigoshish
20 species on the Minnesota DNR list for this lake. A species on the list has been recorded here; it does not mean it is catchable today or in every part of the lake.
Stocking at Lake Winnibigoshish
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for this lake — which species went in, how many, and in which years. Read the years: a lake stocked in one year is not necessarily stocked in the next.
Getting on the water
6 public boat landings are recorded on Lake Winnibigoshish. Minnesota DNR lists the public access sites, including ramp type and parking, in the documents below.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on April 16, 2025 caught 6.06 walleye per gill net at Lake Winnibigoshish. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 1–25 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lake Winnibigoshish’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
39 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-04-16 (Standard Survey).
39 surveys on file · most recent 2025-04-16 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 219.08 | 1–11 in 2025-04-16 | 0.19 lb |
| Spottail Shiner | 109.89 | ||
| Bluntnose Minnow | 22.18 | ||
| Walleye | 20.42 | 1–25 in 2025-04-16 | 1.19 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
Walleye
From the 2025-04-16 survey
Lake Winnibigoshish, otherwise known as Winnie or Big Winnie, is a large reservoir located immediately north of the community of Bena, Minnesota. Winnie was a natural lake that was impounded in the 1880's with a dam controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Today the USACE maintains water levels within a…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Lake Winnibigoshish. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — WinnibigoshishFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Winnibigoshish (0702)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — WinnibigoshishFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — WinnibigoshishPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Lake Winnibigoshish?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on April 16, 2025 caught 6.06 walleye per gill net at Lake Winnibigoshish. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 1–25 inches. Minnesota DNR lists 20 species for the lake in total. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Lake Winnibigoshish last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Lake Winnibigoshish is dated April 16, 2025. Survey intervals vary by lake and by species; a gap of several years between surveys is normal and does not mean the record is missing.
Is Lake Winnibigoshish stocked?
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for Lake Winnibigoshish. It records which species were released, in what numbers and in which years — the source documents are linked further down this page. A lake can be stocked in some years and not others, so read the years rather than assuming an annual release.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Lake Winnibigoshish fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Lake Winnibigoshish’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Before you eat what you catch
Water-quality readings are not a consumption advisory. Mercury and PCB advice for Minnesota waters comes from MDH, and it is issued per species and per size class: a lake with clear, low-nutrient water can still carry a meal limit on larger predator fish.
Where to stay near Lake Winnibigoshish
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Winnibigoshish
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