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Stearns County

Big Watab Lake

The Minnesota DNR reports 13,500 trout stocked in Big Watab Lake (Stearns County) in 2025, the latest year in its lake stocking report. The DNR reports stocking by year, not by day. Minnesota DNR lists it as “Big Watab”.

Minnesota DNR data pulled .

A lake with forest and trees
Photo: jplenio, Pixabay License, Pixabay

Big Watab Lake in numbers

trout stocked in 2025
13,500
yearly average, 2020–2024
12,218
years stocked since 2020
6
Stocking log

Every stocking record

Every trout stocking the DNR reports for this lake, by year, species and size class (fry, fingerlings, yearlings, adults), newest first.

Stocked in 202513,50011,500 rainbow trout; 2,000 brown trout
Every year since 2020
YearSpeciesSizeFish
2025Brown troutyearlingsyearlings2,000
2025Rainbow troutyearlingsyearlings11,500
2024Brown troutadultsadults2,000
2024Rainbow troutfingerlingsfingerlings250
2024Rainbow troutyearlingsyearlings10,000
2023Brown troutyearlingsyearlings2,000
2023Brown troutadultsadults75
2023Rainbow troutyearlingsyearlings10,000
2023Rainbow troutfingerlingsfingerlings240
2023Rainbow troutadultsadults50
2022Brown troutyearlingsyearlings2,000
2022Brown troutadultsadults75
2022Rainbow troutyearlingsyearlings10,000
2021Brown troutyearlingsyearlings2,000
2021Rainbow troutyearlingsyearlings10,000
2020Brown troutadultsadults2,400
2020Rainbow troutyearlingsyearlings10,000
2020 – 2025

Trout stocked each year

Shown from 2020 to 2025, the latest year the DNR has published. The tallest year is yellow.

  1. 12k2020: 12,400 fish
  2. 12k2021: 12,000 fish
  3. 12k2022: 12,075 fish
  4. 12k2023: 12,365 fish
  5. 12k2024: 12,250 fish
  6. 14k2025: 13,500 fish

What is stocked here

All records since 2020
SpeciesFishShare
Rainbow trout62,04083%
Brown trout12,55017%

Open on a map

Map point 45.5526, -94.4514: the USGS Geographic Names Information System point for this lake (feature 640147). It marks the water, not a parking lot or a boat launch.

Closest waters on this site

Straight-line distance between map points, not driving distance.

Also in Stearns County: Melrose Red Quarry, Horseshoe Quarry, Benzy Quarry, Nine Quarry, Thielman Quarry, Fifteen Quarry, Fourteen Quarry, Oberg Quarry.

Source: DNR lake stocking report, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Pulled . Check the agency and the current fishing rules before you go.

Near Big Watab Lake

Boat access, bait shops, rentals and places to stay within 10 miles. Distances are straight lines from the map point of the water, not driving distance.

Boats, kayaks and marinas

1 listed

Fishing guides and charters

1 listed

Campgrounds and RV parks

nearest 3

Lodging

nearest 3
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Businesses: Overture Maps Foundation open places data (release 2026-10-21.0, pulled 2026-11-06), from the businesses’ public listings. We have not visited them and do not rank them. Hours and services change, so call ahead.