Fishing Pig Lake: What the DNR Survey Shows
Pig Lake is a deep, clear bay off Lower Whitefish, and the DNR's 2024 survey says its pike and walleye are worth your time while its panfish are not the main event.
The DNR's own fisheries crew put it simply in their 2024 summary: Pig Lake "seems more like a large bay than a separate lake." It sits on the southeast side of Lower Whitefish, joined by a broad channel, and it carries a lot of the big lake's character in a smaller, calmer package.
Here is what decades of DNR survey work tell us about fishing it.
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The lake in numbers
Pig Lake covers about 196 acres with a maximum depth of 56 feet and 2.95 miles of shoreline. Only about 33 percent of the lake is 15 feet deep or less, so most of it is open, deeper water. Average clarity is about 15.8 feet, and recent DNR readings have been clearer still: 20 feet in June 2018 and 22 feet in June 2024.
What the 2024 DNR survey found
The DNR has surveyed Pig Lake in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2011, 2018 and, most recently, in a standard survey that began June 17, 2024. The 2024 highlights:
- Northern pike: moderate numbers, about 8.0 per gill net, averaging 23.1 inches.
- Walleye: fewer, about 1.3 per gill net, but the DNR called the 20.0-inch average "quite large."
- Bluegill: plenty of them, about 26.3 per trap net, but small, averaging 4.9 inches, with only 2 percent at 7 inches or longer.
- Black crappie: only three were caught, from 8.9 to 10.6 inches.
- Others in the nets: yellow perch, tullibee, lake whitefish, rock bass, pumpkinseed, hybrid sunfish, yellow and brown bullhead, white sucker and shorthead redhorse.
The DNR's advice on panfish was direct: based on these results, anglers may want to look elsewhere in the chain for them. Pig is not where the bluegill bite is.
Walleye are not stocked directly into Pig Lake. The DNR notes that connected Whitefish is stocked every year, and fish move freely between the two.
Bass across the chain
For bass, the DNR electrofished stations across the whole Whitefish Chain, not Pig alone. Chain-wide, crews caught about 44.9 largemouth bass per hour, averaging 13.1 inches, with 39 percent over 14 inches and fish up to 19.2 inches. Three smallmouth bass were also sampled chain-wide, all over 16 inches.
A healthy nearshore fish community
In 2018 the DNR's fish-based index of biological integrity program sampled Pig Lake's shallows with electrofishing and seines. The crew recorded 26 native species, including 10 that are sensitive to disturbance, such as pugnose shiner, blackchin shiner, banded killifish and Iowa darter. The resulting score was above the impairment threshold, which the summary described as indicating an exceptional fish community. For anyone who cares about the long-term health of a lake, that is welcome news.
Seasonal patterns
Pig is deep and clear, with plants growing as deep as 21 feet in the DNR's 2011 plant survey. Coontail, muskgrass, naiads and pondweeds make up most of the plant community, and near-shore bottoms are mostly sand and gravel, with muck in the northwest bay.
In general terms, deep, clear lakes like this one reward fishing the deep weed edges and drop-offs through summer, and low-light hours for walleye. Spring and fall, when fish move shallower, tend to be productive for pike along the weed lines. Because Pig is connected to Lower Whitefish by a broad channel, fish and anglers move between the two. These are general patterns, not survey findings.
Regulations to know
The DNR's special management waters rule sets a daily sunfish limit of five on the Whitefish Chain, and it names Pig Lake specifically. The DNR survey summary also notes that the chain's panfish limits were reduced in 2021. Pike follow the north-central zone rules. Check current DNR regulations before every trip.
Access and launch
The DNR lists Pig Lake's main public access as the channel from Lower Whitefish Lake. Most boaters arrive through the chain from launches elsewhere. The DNR also notes that an old township road access on the south shore is now used by the Ideal Fire Department and is gated, with the gate opened for winter access.
Under Minnesota law, every boater must clean off plants, drain all water and pull the drain plug when leaving any lake. Make it a habit.
For connecting water, see the Lower Whitefish Lake guide and the main Pig Lake guide.
Questions
Is Pig Lake good for walleye?
Walleye numbers were low in the 2024 DNR survey, about 1.3 per gill net, but the fish averaged 20.0 inches, which the DNR described as quite large.
Is Pig Lake good for bluegill?
Not especially. The 2024 survey found many bluegill, but they averaged 4.9 inches, and the DNR suggested anglers look elsewhere in the chain for panfish.
How do you get a boat onto Pig Lake?
The DNR lists access by channel from Lower Whitefish Lake. Most boaters launch elsewhere on the Whitefish Chain and run in.
Keep reading
See Living on Pig Lake, A Year on Pig Lake or all the lake guides.
Want a deep, clear lake with Lower Whitefish right outside the channel? Call or text David at 218.513.2677 or email david@whitefishpropertyfinder.com. Or start your search here.
Sources: MN DNR LakeFinder, Pig Lake fish survey; MN DNR aquatic vegetation survey, Pig Lake; MN DNR special management waters rule.