Bigmouth Buffalo Lakes in Minnesota, 144 Lakes

Rough fish like Bigmouth Buffalo are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 144 Minnesota lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Bigmouth Buffalo is moderately distributed — 144 lakes in Minnesota. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

Rough-fish-dominant lakes are worth checking the phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings 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 each lake's clarity, phosphorus and algae readings: lakes with low nutrient readings and Bigmouth Buffalo documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

144

Minnesota Lakes

Counties

Bigmouth Buffalo Lakes Map

Every Minnesota lake with documented bigmouth buffalo.

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Best Bigmouth Buffalo Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth
1	Little Birch Lake	Todd	13 ft	89 ft
2	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	16.4 ft	55 ft
3	Long Lake	Otter Tail	11.6 ft	73 ft
4	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	14.8 ft	95 ft
5	Florida Lake	Kandiyohi	12.3 ft	40 ft
6	Eagle Lake	Kandiyohi	6.9 ft	67 ft
7	Green Lake	Kandiyohi	14.1 ft	110 ft
8	Cedar Lake	Aitkin	11.1 ft	105 ft
9	Howard Lake	Anoka	3.3 ft	-
10	Minnewaska Lake	Pope	11 ft	32 ft
11	Farm Island Lake	Aitkin	11.3 ft	56 ft
12	Pierz Lake	Morrison	9.5 ft	34 ft
13	Lake St Croix	Pierce	7.2 ft	78 ft
14	Pool	Washington	5.9 ft	78 ft
15	Washington Lake	Meeker	4.5 ft	17 ft
16	Koronis Lake	Stearns	6 ft	132 ft
17	Bingham Lake	Cottonwood	4 ft	10 ft
18	Minnewawa Lake	Aitkin	5 ft	21 ft
19	Big Sandy Lake	Aitkin	4.5 ft	84 ft
20	Calhoun Lake	Kandiyohi	6.9 ft	13 ft
21	Sarah Lake	Murray	3.9 ft	10 ft
22	Waconia Lake	Carver	7.3 ft	37 ft
23	Pool of Lake St Croix	Washington	4.3 ft	78 ft
24	Deep Lake	Ramsey	3.9 ft	11 ft
25	Carrie Lake	Kandiyohi	4.5 ft	26 ft
26	Waverly Lake	Wright	6.9 ft	70.5 ft
27	Big Kandiyohi Lake	Kandiyohi	5.2 ft	18 ft
28	Warner Lake	Stearns	6 ft	38 ft
29	Currant Lake	Murray	1.6 ft	9.5 ft
30	Pelican Lake	Pope	5.2 ft	34 ft
31	Charley Lake	Ramsey	4.6 ft	21 ft
32	Round Lake	Jackson	2 ft	9 ft
33	Long Lake	Watonwan	2.5 ft	13 ft
34	Ballantyne Lake	Blue Earth	2.5 ft	58 ft
35	Emily Lake	Pope	2 ft	6 ft
36	Foot Lake	Kandiyohi	2.3 ft	24 ft
37	Independence Lake	Hennepin	4.8 ft	58 ft
38	Howard Lake	Wright	4 ft	39 ft
39	Willmar Lake	Kandiyohi	2 ft	14 ft
40	Wood Lake	Yellow Medicine	3 ft	9 ft
41	Belle Lake	Meeker	3.9 ft	25 ft
42	Locke Lake	Wright	3.9 ft	49 ft
43	Cottonwood Lake	Cottonwood	2.1 ft	10 ft
44	Little Spirit Lake	Jackson	3.3 ft	8 ft
45	Page Lake	Stevens	2 ft	17 ft
46	Madison Lake	Blue Earth	4 ft	59 ft
47	Lower Elk Lake	Grant	1.8 ft	13 ft
48	Okabena Lake	Nobles	3.3 ft	16 ft
49	Penn Lake	Hennepin	2 ft	7 ft
50	Kansas Lake	Watonwan	1.5 ft	7 ft

Showing top 50 of 144 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have bigmouth buffalo?

Bigmouth Buffalo are found in 144 lakes in Minnesota.

What are the best bigmouth buffalo lakes in Minnesota?

The best bigmouth buffalo lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Little Birch Lake, Pelican Lake, Long Lake, Chippewa Lake, Florida Lake.

Fish species from state agency survey, stocking, and public fishing-access records; water-quality readings from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.