Lake Winnibigoshish Public Input

Lake Winnibigoshish Management Plan for 2027 - 2037: Public Input Opportunity

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is developing a management plan for Lake Winnibigoshish (including Cut Foot, Little Cut Foot, and Sugar Lakes). When finalized, this plan will guide fisheries management on Lake Winnibigoshish from 2027- 2037. 

The following survey is your first opportunity to let us know how you currently use Lake Winnibigoshish and what your priorities are for future management. Additional input opportunities will be available once a draft plan is developed.

The questionnaire and public scoping period will be open from November 10 - December 12. It will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

Description of the Resource

The name of Minnesota's seventh-largest lake comes from the Ojibwe word "Wiinibiigoonzhish," a diminutive and pejorative form of "Wiinibiig," meaning filthy or brackish water.

Located 15 miles northwest of Deer River, Winnibigoshish is a 56,544-acre lake with a mean depth of 15.1 feet and a maximum depth of 70 feet. It is shallow, wind-swept reservoir with a sandy shoreline and gently sloping shoal areas. The geology surrounding Lake Winnibigoshish contains a high proportion of sandy soils, providing an abundance of sandy shoreline with very gradual slopes. Nicknamed Big Winnie or Winnie, it sits in the heart of the 1.6 million acre Chippewa National Forest.

Major changes have been occurring within the system during the past 15 years. These changes began around the time of the discovery of invasive faucet snails in 2007, followed by the detection of larval zebra mussels in 2012 and adult zebra mussels in 2016.

Invasive species found in Winnibigoshish are known filter feeders that can dramatically increase water clarity by feeding on plankton, which provide important forage for recently hatched fish. Increasing water clarity tends to improve habitat for bass, sunfish and northern pike while decreasing habitat suitability for walleye.