Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest August 4, 2025
Stocking at Buck Lake
No stocking record for Buck Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is an absence in the published record, not a confirmation that the lake is unstocked — some waters are managed as naturally reproducing and never appear in a stocking list at all.
Survey results in full
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…
Common questions
What fish are in Buck Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 13, 1981 caught 5.50 walleye per gill net at Buck Lake. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Buck Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Buck Lake is dated August 4, 2025. Survey intervals vary by lake and by species; a gap of several years between surveys is normal and does not mean the record is missing.
Is Buck Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Buck Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is not the same as a confirmed unstocked lake: it means no stocking document was published for it in the records this page draws on.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Buck Lake fishes?
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.
Before you eat what you catch
Water-quality readings are not a consumption advisory. Mercury and PCB advice for Minnesota waters comes from MDH, and it is issued per species and per size class: a lake with clear, low-nutrient water can still carry a meal limit on larger predator fish.
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