Big Cormorant Lake is located in northwestern Minnesota's Becker County, about an hour's drive due east of the Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota metropolitan area. Public access boat ramps are located on the northeast and west sides of the Lake.

The lake was named after the cormorant, a common bird species in the region. In 2015, the lake was discovered to be infested with zebra mussels, which threatens neighboring lakes. Cormorant Lake is situated near the towns of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, Lake Park, Minnesota, Audubon, Minnesota and the Cormorant Township.

History The land that Big Cormorant Lake sits on was originally occupied by the Chippewa (Ojibwe), and the Sioux Native tribes. The Cormorant Township was established on February 26, 1872, and the name Cormorant is translated from the original Ojibway name of the lake. In 1867, a treaty was signed establishing the White Earth Reservation, a large tract of land in the northern part of Becker County, to be home for the Chippewa Indians.

Attractions and activities Some of the most popular attractions on Big Cormorant Lake are restaurants. Cormorant Pub and Boat House, Parallel 46, Zorbaz on Pelican Lake, the Roadhouse, and Pit 611 offer lake residents food and entertainment. Boutique shopping is also available in Cormorant Village.

Founded in 1903, YMCA Camp Cormorant is one of the oldest overnight camps in the entire nation and continues to be a tremendous learning experience for children and teens. The camp is nestled on of wooded property with an extensive beach front on Big Cormorant Lake. Boating, sailing, and fishing are the most common activities on Cormorant Lake. Other activities on Big Cormorant include swimming, kayaking, wakesurfing, waterskiing, wakeboarding and standup paddleboarding during the summer, as well as ice fishing and snowmobiling during the winter.

In media Cormorant Village went viral for electing a dog named Duke as Mayor for four terms. Duke was a Great Pyrenees and passed away on Feb 21, 2019.

A popular YouTube channel named CBOYSTV films is headquartered at Cormorant Lake. CBoysTV is an American comedy and motorsports channel run by five guys. Their channel has amassed over 2.2 million subscribers.

Wildlife Fish to catch

Black Bullhead Black Crappie Bluegill Brown Bullhead Carp Green Sunfish Hybrid Sunfish Largemouth Bass Northern Pike Pumpkinseed Rock Bass Smallmouth Bass Walleye White Sucker Yellow Bullhead Yellow Perch

Invasive species

Zebra Mussel Eurasian Milfoil Spiny waterflea Starry Stonewort

Climate Because of its location in the Great Plains and its distance from both mountains and oceans, Cormorant Lake has an extreme humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa/Dfb), featuring long, bitterly cold winters and warm to hot, humid summers. Summers have frequent thunderstorms, and the warmest month of the year is July.

Temperature and precipitation

Ice In - Out

1980sYear Out In1980 N/A N/A1981 N/A N/A1982 N/A N/A1983 N/A N/A1984 N/A Dec 11985 April 21 Nov 201986 April 18 Nov 181987 April 13 Dec 21988 April 18 Nov 261989 April 19 Nov 23

1990sYear Out In1990 April 5 Dec 11991 April 19 Dec 231992 N/A N/A1993 N/A N/A1994 N/A N/A1995 April 22 Nov 241996 April 20 Nov 181997 May 4 Nov 241998 April 12 Dec 191999 April 17 N/A

2000sYear Out In2000 April 5 Dec 12001 April 29 Dec 192002 April 18 Nov 252003 April 15 Nov 292004 April 19 Dec 132005 April 15–17 Dec 12006 April 13 Nov 302007 April 26 Dec 42008 May 7 Nov 282009 April 29 Dec 5

2010sYear Out In2010 April 3 Nov 272011 April 29 Dec 52012 March 25 Dec 52013 N/A N/A2014 N/A N/A2015 April 16 Dec 212016 April 6 Dec 102017 April 8 Dec 72018 May 3 Nov 192019 May 2 Dec 4

2020sYear Out In2020 April 29 Dec 152021 April 7 Dec 72022 May 8 Nov 192023 May 8 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029

Neighboring lakes Leaf Lake (Becker County Minnesota) Pelican Lake (Otter Tail County, Minnesota) Little Cormorant Lake Middle Cormorant Lake Upper Cormorant Lake Lake Ida Lake Maud Lake Nelson

Adjacent townships Cormorant Township (south) Lake Park Township (north) Audubon Township (northeast) Lake Eunice Township (east) Dunn Township, Otter Tail County (southeast) Scambler Township, Otter Tail County (south) Tansem Township, Clay County (southwest) Parke Township, Clay County (west) Eglon Township, Clay County (northwest)

See also List of lakes in Minnesota

References