Buck Lake
Beltrami County, Minnesota360 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Buck Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- zebra mussel
- 40 ft max depth
- Limited data
Buck Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 360.04 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 13, 1981 caught 5.50 walleye per gill net at Buck Lake. DNR survey details →
Buck Lake is a 360-acre mesotrophic lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 40 feet. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Beltrami County, Buck Lake ranks #32 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Buck Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12 ft of visibility
- Deep water40 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Buck Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Buck Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Buck Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 12 ft. Phosphorus 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.3 µg/L. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Buck Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Buck Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 61°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 64°F) and coldest in May (about 52°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (52°F) to its warmest (64°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 142 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Buck Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 13, 1981 caught 5.50 walleye per gill net at Buck Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Buck Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-04 (Targeted Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-04 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Perch | 19.77 | 0.15 lb | |
| Tullibee (Cisco) | 14.67 | 1.09 lb | |
| Rock Bass | 4.60 | 0.46 lb | |
| Bluegill | 4.20 | 0.29 lb | |
| Northern Pike | 3.33 | 1.66 lb | |
| Pumpkinseed | 3.20 | 0.21 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
From the 2025-08-04 survey
Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Buck Lake, which is located wholly within the Leech Lake Reservation, on August 4th, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee, the most…
Lake Details
Max depth
40 ft
Surface area
360 acres
Shoreline
5 mi
Littoral zone
19%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Fishing Buck Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Nearby Lakes in Beltrami County
Frequently asked questions about Buck Lake
Where is Buck Lake?
- Buck Lake is a lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Buck Lake?
- Buck Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 360.04 acres.
Is Buck Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Buck Lake?
- Buck Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in October, from 142 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Buck Lake?
- Buck Lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet. The lake covers 360.04 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Buck Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 13, 1981 caught 5.50 walleye per gill net at Buck Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Buck Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Buck Lake?
- Public access to Buck Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Buck Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
24 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
LEECHLAK_WQX24 samples · 2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Nitrate-Nitrite Nitrogen by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder