← Schoolcraft County

Murphy Lake, Big

📍 Schoolcraft County, Michigan

Murphy Lake, Big is a fishing water in Schoolcraft County, Michigan (Northern Lake Michigan management unit).

38
Fish species
0
Boat launches
✓
Public access
Conditions today D 44/100 Below-average Last stocked Jun 18, 2025 Walleye, 1.4 years ago Keeper size (estimated) Walleye Stocked fish likely at keeper size by now Access 0 boat launches Public access

📊 Fishing Conditions

The fishing conditions score rates how favorable Murphy Lake, Big looks for the day you pick (today by default), from 0 to 100. It adds up five things: how recently the lake was stocked, the moon phase, the season, how many game and panfish species live here (such as bluegill, channel catfish and largemouth bass), and the size of the lake. It does not include the weather forecast. The cards below show how many points each factor contributed.

D
44/100
Sunday, November 1, 2026
Conditions score

Below-average, consider a different lake or time of day.

🎣 Stocking
Last stocked Jun 18, 2025
Last: Jun 18, 2025
🌗 Moon Phase
Last Quarter
Feeding bonus
🍃 Season
Late Fall: fish fattening up
November
🐟 Species
8 game/panfish species: outstanding variety
Game & panfish
📐 Lake Size
Size unknown
Surface area

Fishing Tips for Murphy Lake, Big Today

Fall fish at Murphy Lake, Big are feeding heavily before winter. Match the forage: shad, crawfish, and perch patterns work well.

📊 Fishing Pressure

Fishing pressure is our estimate of how busy Murphy Lake, Big is likely to be today. It looks at the day of the week, the time of year, and whether the lake has been stocked recently, because fresh stockings tend to draw anglers. Lower pressure usually means more room to work the water for bluegill, channel catfish and largemouth bass.

Moderate estimated pressure today
Weekend Popular stocking lake

Moderate activity expected. Midweek mornings are typically quieter.

Estimate based on day of week, season, and recent stocking. Not a live crowd count.

🐟 Fish Species in Murphy Lake, Big

Bluegill Good
Lepomis macrochirus
Channel Catfish Good
Ictalurus punctatus
Largemouth Bass Good
Micropterus salmoides
Muskellunge Good
Esox masquinongy
Northern Pike Good
Esox lucius
Walleye Good
Sander vitreus
Golden Shiner Good
Notemigonus crysoleucas
Brown Bullhead Good
Ameiurus nebulosus
Bluntnose Minnow Good
Pimephales notatus
Brook Silverside Good
Labidesthes sicculus
Brook Stickleback Good
Culaea inconstans
Central Mudminnow Good
Umbra limi
Common Shiner Good
Luxilus cornutus
Emerald Shiner Good
Notropis atherinoides
Fathead Minnow Good
Pimephales promelas
Finescale Dace Good
Phoxinus neogaeus
Golden Redhorse Good
Moxostoma erythrurum
Goldfish Good
Carassius auratus
Kiyi Good
Coregonus kiyi
Lake Chub Good
Couesius plumbeus
Longnose Sucker Good
Catostomus catostomus
Mimic Shiner Good
Notropis volucellus
Mottled Sculpin Good
Cottus bairdii
Ninespine Stickleback Good
Pungitius pungitius
Northern Pearl Dace Good
Margariscus nachtriebi
Northern Redbelly Dace Good
Phoxinus eos
Pygmy Whitefish Good
Prosopium coulteri
Ruffe Good
Gymnocephalus cernua
Sand Shiner Good
Notropis stramineus
Shorthead Redhorse Good
Moxostoma macrolepidotum
Shortjaw Cisco Good
Coregonus zenithicus
Slimy Sculpin Good
Cottus cognatus
Spotfin Shiner Good
Cyprinella spiloptera
Spottail Shiner Good
Notropis hudsonius
Threespine Stickleback Good
Gasterosteus aculeatus
Trout-Perch Good
Percopsis omiscomaycus
Western Banded Killifish Good
Fundulus diaphanus
White Sucker Good
Catostomus commersonii
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📅 Best Time to Fish Murphy Lake, Big

Combined bite activity across all 38 species in this lake.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

📏 Fishing Regulations

Statewide general rules for the species found here. Individual waters can have exceptions (special size limits, closed seasons, trout lake types), so check this lake's listing in the official DNR Fishing Guide before heading out.
SpeciesMin sizeDaily limit
BluegillNone25 sunfish combined
Channel Catfish12"10
Largemouth Bass14"5 bass combined
Muskellunge42"1 per license year (registration required)
Northern Pike24"2
Walleye15"5
📅 Stocking Timeline 5-year history
5 Stocking events
112,366 Fish stocked
1 Species
502d Since last stock
1083d Longest gap
Walleye 112,366
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Today
Qty / event
Jun '17
Jun '19
Jul '21
Jun '24
Jun '25

📋 Murphy Lake, Big Stocking Records

Date Species Quantity Size
Jun 18, 2025 Walleye 24,645 2.0"
Jun 27, 2024 Walleye 11,920 1.7"
Jul 10, 2021 Walleye 8,508 2.1"
Jun 25, 2019 Walleye 47,293 1.7"
Jun 7, 2017 Walleye 20,000 1.3"
Jun 10, 2015 Walleye 12,720 1.6"
Jun 6, 2013 Walleye 10,002 1.4"
Jun 11, 2010 Walleye 10,435 1.7"
Jun 24, 2008 Walleye 11,340 1.9"
Jun 9, 2006 Walleye 12,775 1.7"
Jun 15, 2004 Walleye 4,858 2.0"
Jun 8, 2004 Walleye 7,757 1.7"
Nov 2, 2002 Walleye 50 5.0"
Jun 14, 2001 Walleye 7,562 1.7"
Jun 2, 1998 Walleye 8,020 1.9"
Jun 15, 1995 Walleye 10,994 1.5"
Jun 8, 1993 Walleye 11,184 1.3"
Jun 14, 1991 Walleye 6,631 2.5"
May 9, 1991 Northern Pike 10,000 2.2"
Nov 8, 1990 Channel Catfish 10,712 3.8"
Oct 31, 1990 Largemouth Bass 7,000 4.1"
Jun 14, 1990 Walleye 7,536 1.7"
May 16, 1990 Northern Pike 6,000 4.0"
May 19, 1989 Channel Catfish 12,000 3.4"
Oct 26, 1988 Largemouth Bass 5,000 6.6"
Showing 25 of 40 stocking records, newest first

* Records shown are from our database. For the most current data, visit the Michigan DNR directly.

📅 Stocking Forecast

Based on 40 historical stocking events at this lake. Next likely stocking window: May.
Peak Stocking Months
Jun May Aug
Most Stocked Species
Walleye Channel Catfish Northern Pike

* Forecast is based on historical DNR data and is not a guarantee of future stocking.

⚓ Murphy Lake, Big Boat Launches

No launch data on record for this lake. Browse all Michigan boat launches.

💡 Angler Tips for Murphy Lake, Big

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🌤 Current Murphy Lake, Big Weather Conditions

No coordinates on file for this lake.
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🔗 Resources

📋 DNR Stocking Database 📖 Michigan Fishing Guide (PDF) 🎣 Log a catch here