big stone lake

[icefishing21]

thinking about going to big stone lake on the south dakota/minnesota boarder for there walleye opener with my dad. we have never fished the lake and was wondering if anyone has fished it and could get us going in the right direction. thanks

[Bandit]

We used to catc fish there pulling spinners around pts, and throwing jigs in close to shore. You can also pull cranks down the middle. This was a few years ago. From what I have heard as of late is that it is hard to find fish down there. I think it was fished pretty hard, and like traverse the population is way down.

[icefishing21]

alright thanks for the info bandit!

[Schloogs]

We fished there a couple of years ago and the fish were few and far between, and what we caught were on the small size. What we did catch we caught with spinners on the south end of the lake.

[kaz2611]

icefishing21 I've fished bigstone quite a bit over the past 17 yrs there are fish in the lake I've had sucess each opener fish will be in shallows for opener as it opens end of april lindy rigs tipped with fatheads works great jigging edges of rock piles by meadow brook is also a nice option als shallows around the islands will hold some fish. bigstone is subject to some nice sized rollers if wind blows much. If thats the case you can find walleyes fishing from shoreline also at night. usually for opener if water hasnt been wind driven for a couple days you should find good water clarity. Buds bait is the local bait shop right in town and they will be happy to help you with any questions.

[kaz2611]

icefishing21 I've fished bigstone quite a bit over the past 17 yrs there are fish in the lake I've had sucess each opener fish will be in shallows for opener as it opens end of april lindy rigs tipped with fatheads works great jigging edges of rock piles by meadow brook is also a nice option als shallows around the islands will hold some fish. bigstone is subject to some nice sized rollers if wind blows much. If thats the case you can find walleyes fishing from shoreline also at night. usually for opener if water hasnt been wind driven for a couple days you should find good water clarity. Buds bait is the local bait shop right in town and they will be happy to help you with any questions.

[icefishing21]

thanks alot for the information kaz.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Expect chilly weather and a lot of wind. The wind normally comes from the north or northwest. I goes right down "The chute" and by the time it's to the south side, the lake is good and rough.

In the springtime I've had best results using the 1-2 punch of a slipbobber, and casting cranks. I toss out a minnow or leech on a jig head and let it sit under a slip bobber. I cast cranks around the slip bobber.

When the wind and waves kick up, try tossing rattling lures around the shore line. When the waves start, the walleyes will move closer into shore and go after the bait fish that get washed into the shore line. Toss rattling lures into the wavey shoreline and you could get some good luck.

This isn't just Big Stone, this is a tactic that works well on many lakes.

Be careful on Big Stone. There are a lot of rocks. It's not called Big Stone for nothing.

Good luck.