Buffalo Lake fishing: Northern Pike, Walleye, Largemouth Bass

Target species: Northern Pike, Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bigmouth Buffalo, Channel Catfish, Black Bullhead
Boat: 3 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Buffalo Lake (E) Public Water Access Site, 1 lane.

The lake

Buffalo Lake covers 1,549 acres in Minnesota, across Wright County. It is a lake: 92.2% of it is 24 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 30 feet (9.1 m). Our records hold 19 species for this water.

7 target fish, led by Northern Pike

  • Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Bigmouth Buffalo — Feeding water: 70–80°F.
  • Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Black Bullhead — Feeding water: 70–80°F.

Also recorded here: White Sucker, Black Crappie, White Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Green Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Orangespotted Sunfish, Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp.

Ice fishing houses on Buffalo Lake (49321972657).jpg
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region · Public domain

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 30 ft (9.1 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 92.2% of the water is 24 feet or shallower. We hold 47 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–2 ft: 1.7% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 4.2% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 6.1% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 10.6% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 10.7% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 7% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 7% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 6.9% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 7.3% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 10.8% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 9.5% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 10.4% of the water
  • 24–26 ft: 7.3% of the water
  • 26–28 ft: 0.3% of the water
  • 28–30 ft: 0.2% of the water

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 2–9.5 feet on our readings, averaging 4.7 feet, from 88 readings. Our water temperature readings average 72°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 50°F and the warmest is 85°F; the warmest monthly average is 79°F. pH averages 8.4. These readings span 2018–2025.

3 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 3 trailer ramps.

  • Buffalo Lake (E) Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms.
  • Buffalo Lake (N) Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
  • Buffalo Lake (S) Public Water Access Site — 1 lane.

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 3 places in this list: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

What is hard here

Clarity swings from 2 to 9.5 feet between our readings — the water you meet is not the water someone photographed.

Where this data comes from

  • Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: reported depths: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.