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Big Stone Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The prairie border lake: 26 miles of Minnesota-South Dakota water at the Minnesota River's source, grinding out walleye and perch the old way.

5/5
Excellent. Go now.Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
80 / 83 F
Wind
E 5 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

5/5Excellent. Go now.Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor.

Big Stone Lake lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings cloud cover, wind E around 5 mph, falling pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 83. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Northern pikeExcellent

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

White bassGood

The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

CrappieFair

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 89 F with a rain chance. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp80 F
High / Low83 / 65 F
WindE 5-7 mph
Pressure1010.9 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain80% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset06:51 / 19:58
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 83/65 F, wind 13 mph, rain 2%

Fair or better. A 13 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Big Stone Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Big Stone Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
White bass
Northern pike
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Big Stone Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 95 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 85 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Minnesota requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

MN or SD license (border reciprocity on the lake). Walleye 4/day with slot protections: check current border rules.

Access

Ortonville city ramp, Big Stone Lake SP (MN) launches, Hartford Beach SP (SD).

About this water

12,610 acres, 26 miles long, on the MN-SD border. Source of the Minnesota River.

Fishing Big Stone Lake: the full guide

Long water on the prairie

Big Stone stretches 26 narrow miles along the MN-SD line: the Minnesota River's headwater lake, shallow and fertile, ringed by granite outcrops that named it. The fishery is prairie classic: walleye as the daily bread, jumbo perch as the winter economy, and bullheads-and-crappie filling the family stringers between.

Walleye the long-lake way

The lake fishes like a corridor: fish migrate the length with the seasons: spring at the north-end rivermouth rocks, summer scattered along the 8-15-ft flats and points (harness-and-bottom-bouncer water), fall re-stacking on the gravel. Wind sets the day: the lake funnels blows lengthwise, and the walleye chop doctrine applies in full.

The perch tradition

Big Stone's jumbo perch built its winter reputation: ice villages off Ortonville chase 12-inch-plus fish across the mud basins, and good year-classes make statewide news. Summer perch ride the deep weed edges: locals cash in quietly while the walleye boats pass by.

Border simplicity

MN-SD reciprocity covers the lake: either license works on the water. Ortonville (MN) and Big Stone City (SD) anchor the south end's services; state-park and municipal ramps chain the shoreline. It is unfancy, uncrowded, productive water: the prairie lake formula that never stopped working.

Common questions

Which state's license works on Big Stone?

Either: the border-water agreement covers the lake proper. Tributaries and adjacent waters revert to their own state's rules.

When is the perch bite at Big Stone?

January-February through the ice off Ortonville: the jumbo years draw crowds from three states. Summer sleeper: deep weedlines in August with crawler pieces.

Is fishing good at Big Stone Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor.

Nearby waters

Waubay Lake35 miBitter Lake36 miGreen Lake83 miOtter Tail Lake83 miLake Thompson88 miSheyenne River89 mi
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