bigmouth buffalo Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Other SpeciesFound in 129 lakes

Rough fish like bigmouth buffalo are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 129 Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. bigmouth buffalo is moderately distributed — present in 129 Minnesota lakes and 0 Wisconsin lakes. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

Rough-fish-dominant lakes are worth checking the grade on: a rough-fish-heavy fishery often reflects an underlying nutrient-loading problem in the watershed. Cross-reference the bigmouth buffalo lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and bigmouth buffalo documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

129

Total Lakes

129

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Avg. Grade

32 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of bigmouth buffalo Lakes

20%

28%

40%

Best bigmouth buffalo Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with bigmouth buffalo ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
2	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	MN	A	95 ft	19
3	Moses Lake	Douglas	MN	A	32 ft	17
4	Little Birch Lake	Todd	MN	A	89 ft	20
5	Long Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	73 ft	17
6	Green Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	A	110 ft	22
7	Cedar Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	105 ft	22
8	Florida Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	B	40 ft	18
9	Sylvia Lake	Stearns	MN	B	56 ft	19
10	Wilkins Lake	Aitkin	MN	B	39 ft	14
11	Minnewaska Lake	Pope	MN	B	32 ft	21
12	Farm Island Lake	Aitkin	MN	B	56 ft	17
13	Dam Lake	Aitkin	MN	B	48 ft	17
14	Lake St. Croix	Washington	MN	B	78 ft	36
15	Calhoun Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	B	13 ft	15
16	Waverly Lake	Wright	MN	B	70.5 ft	17
17	Eagle Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	C	67 ft	17
18	Koronis Lake	Stearns	MN	C	132 ft	22
19	Big Sandy Lake	Aitkin	MN	C	84 ft	22
20	Split Hand Lake	Itasca	MN	C	34 ft	17
21	Little Split Hand Lake	Itasca	MN	C	25 ft	17
22	Waconia Lake	Carver	MN	C	37 ft	16
23	Carrie Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	C	26 ft	13
24	Gun Lake	Aitkin	MN	C	44 ft	16
25	Warner Lake	Stearns	MN	C	38 ft	12
26	Pierz Lake	Morrison	MN	C	34 ft	16
27	St. Croix Lake	Washington	MN	C	78 ft	36
28	St. Croix 1.5 Mi. Upstream of Point Douglas Dr Lake	Washington	MN	C	78 ft	36
29	Pelican Lake	Pope	MN	C	34 ft	18
30	Charley Lake	Ramsey	MN	C	21 ft	20
31	Washington Lake	Meeker	MN	C	17 ft	18
32	Howard Lake	Wright	MN	C	39 ft	16
33	Howard Lake	Anoka	MN	C	-	12
34	Belle Lake	Meeker	MN	C	25 ft	16
35	Burandt Lake	Carver	MN	C	24 ft	12
36	Locke Lake	Wright	MN	C	49 ft	15
37	Pool of Lake St. Croix	Washington	MN	C	78 ft	36
38	Pool on Lake St. Croix Downstream of I94 Bridge	Washington	MN	C	78 ft	36
39	Pool on Lake St. Croix	Washington	MN	C	78 ft	36
40	Orwell Lake	Otter Tail	MN	C	25 ft	17
41	St. Croix 3.5 Mi. Downstream of E Chestnut St Lake	Washington	MN	C	78 ft	36
42	St. Croix 0.3 Mi. Downstream of I Lake	Washington	MN	C	78 ft	36
43	Cokato Lake	Wright	MN	D	52 ft	20
44	Deer Lake	Wright	MN	D	27 ft	17
45	Fish Lake	Wright	MN	D	38 ft	17
46	Barrett Lake	Grant	MN	D	28 ft	23
47	Rice Lake	Stearns	MN	D	41 ft	21
48	Bingham Lake	Cottonwood	MN	D	10 ft	8
49	Blind Lake	Aitkin	MN	D	17 ft	12
50	Minnewawa Lake	Aitkin	MN	D	21 ft	15

Showing top 50 of 129 lakes with bigmouth buffalo.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have bigmouth buffalo?

bigmouth buffalo are found in 129 lakes across Minnesota and Wisconsin, 129 in Minnesota and 0 in Wisconsin. The average water quality grade of lakes with bigmouth buffalo is D (Poor).

What are the best lakes for bigmouth buffalo?

The best bigmouth buffalo lakes by water quality are Pelican Lake, Chippewa Lake, Moses Lake, Little Birch Lake, Long Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where bigmouth buffalo have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with bigmouth buffalo?

bigmouth buffalo are most commonly found alongside yellow perch, black crappie, northern pike, walleye, black bullhead. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.