Buffalo Lake Fishing Reports

[Drewski]

LOL! Can't wait! If they really are 11", I'll owe bigslugger an apology. Besides, why would I be jealous? I'm catchin plenty of 9-10"ers out there! Just hurry up! I wanna see em!

[Vex Guy]

[note from admin-please read forum policy before posting again]

[chris35]

i was thinking about trying buffalo for the first time tommorrow but was just wondering if there is anything biting during the day specifically sunfish and northerns? do the crappies bite all day or is it just the low light periods, thanks

[Bigslugger]

Haven't tried the sunfish and pike.

But crappies seem to bite from 7:15 am - 8:45 am and 3:30pm-6:15pm

[jiggin sibs]

Crappie bite started at 2:30 yesterday afternoon. use pin minnows and a glow jig 20 fow +

[WallyGader]

Im with drewski on this one, I highly doubt that you caught 20 11" crappies on buffalo, im not calling you a lier but that must have been the only 20 11"s in the whole lake. Plus in both your avatars your holding fish in your kitchen that dont even look big enough to clean. Not trying to jump on your back, but seems a little far fetched. Have Fun and Good Luck Fishing..

[sticknstring]

I don't doubt a limit over 10". Why is everyone making it into a big deal? If he didn't close the lips, they would be 9 1/2's... typical size for the lake. If he did, way to go. That's a nice limit of fish. I've caught plenty around 10 and a few approaching 12" in the few times I've fished the lake this winter. They're out there but fewer everyday as countless limits are being taken off daily. This is the most pressure I've ever seen on Buffalo... well before Carney's article came out. All the slush up north isn't helping either keeping guys closer to home.

[Mo Gator]

I think you can attribute the tremendous pressure Buffalo is getting to the media talking it up as well as everyone on the web bragging about all the limits they are pulling from the lake, the slush up north has nothing to do with it.

I have my house out there in the same exact spot I had it last year. Last year there wasn't another house within 100 yds of us. This year there are several other perms by me, as well as 20-30 portables that surround us on most nights. And alot of these portable fishermen are coming from a long ways away. The reason they are coming = Steve Carney writing an article about the "great" Buffalo Lake crappie fishing, and everyone on here bragging about their "big" limits they're catching.

[noodlerod]

EXACTLY !!!!! it's not rocket science..

[eyebjim]

And I think after this much pressure buffalo is going to be the dead sea for a few years.

[Fishin=Easy]

13 pages ??? Its pretty sad but i think this lake has always been easy to catch fish with little effort on ice. Good for people who have no skill who like to catch crappies. If you call yourself a FISHERMAN like me, not a follower leave this lake alone. Pressure? Dont you think the last 13 pages has anything to do with all the peeps out there

[hydro]

I disagree on the "Dead Sea" comment. Buffalo lake is so extremely fertile, due to the nutrient load in the runoff that feeds it, that it can sustain incredible pressure year after year. It has consistantly proven this in the past. There may be some reduction in the average size of crappie caught but it will certainly bounce right back.

I fished the lake through the fall and there were literally clouds of fish below me scattered over acres of water. While this lake gets heavy pressure over the winter, the open water angler/acre ratio is fairly low.

[Bigslugger]

Im with drewski on this one, I highly doubt that you caught 20 11" crappies on buffalo, im not calling you a lier but that must have been the only 20 11"s in the whole lake. Plus in both your avatars your holding fish in your kitchen that dont even look big enough to clean. Not trying to jump on your back, but seems a little far fetched. Have Fun and Good Luck Fishing..

Its understandable..Id be believing the same thing if I wasn't me(if that makes any sense what so ever)

Ill be heading out tomorrow night and hopefully have some pics up by the end of the night if all goes by plan

[fishersofmen]

Don't need the pictures to prove it to me slugger. Would like to see the few naysayers with their tails between their legs though....

[Rory]

I just got back from Buffalo it was the worst nite out there this season 2 crappie and 1 perch.

Ps what is up with the perch im seeing coming out of there this year the things are one step below the jumbo scale. Pretty big

[fishgutz77]

The walleye pop really got hammered the last few years in buffalo which has lead to a great crappie population. I've opened up the 18 "-20 " eyes three or four times in the last few years and have seen both perch and small crappies in the bellies.

If the walleyes don't comeback strong the lake will kick out crappies just like URL on a minature scale year after year.

Watch the DNR stocking reports for eyes in the next few years for info on the probable crappie crop to come.

[Vex Guy]

This lake had no Crappies for the most part of the 80s and early 90's, I know because I was fishing it along with 6 other guys ( not 600 !!). Its on a 20 - 25 year cycle. In the 70's it was as hot as it is now, give it a few years and only the experienced fisherman will catch them. They will be hard to find, but when you catch them it will be like Red Lake was a few years ago.

Then.... no crappies for another 10 years?? I have talked to the DNR about this several times and every lake has a cycle for crappies and Buffalo stats show it to be 20-25 years. So you better take advantage of it today because tomorrow is coming!!

[fishersofmen]

With the amount of crappies being taken out of a lake that size common sense alone would tell you that it MUST go down hill.

[Vex Guy]

There was NO ONE on the lake fishing when the crappie cycle ended. Its a natual cycle and will happen regardless of the pressure. It happens to all natural lakes.

Yes, it will happen a few years earlier then normal with the amount taken out.

Won't be long and it will be nice and quiet out there again!

[jigginjim]

I the way I'm beginning to think of it. The more crappies that get removed, the more room for the perch to take over. Which make great food for walleyes. 5-8 yrs for now it will be the hot spot for walleyes.

[Vex Guy]

Right on Jiggin. It was in the 80's and could be again if the DNR puts some regs on it.

They won't have a chance in there if they don't!

[Bob Pike]

I do not believe the DNR will be regs on this "Give and Take" lake. Seems to be working for the DNR.

[Vex Guy]

We have never had 600-700 houses on the lake before... mix that again with a fresh run of 12" eyes and no regs? Alot of things have worked in the past with the DNR, but there is only more and more fisherman every year. We need the Regs on Buffalo! In fact statewide!

[Bennzo]

How are the 20ft edges in other parts of the lake? Is it feasible to travel to other breaklines? I have family in the area and would like to try the lake this season, but hate fishing in circus type settings. How difficult is it to travel to more remote spots out there? Only fished the lake once in the past and am wondering about springs and what not.

[Bigslugger]

Went out after school today. Drilled the whole for the portable, went to pull the one pole on my Otter and it was stuck tight. Tried for a half hour to get it unstuck but no use. Had to go home and figure it out.

Most frustrating about it was that no I can't prove that there still are big fish out there!

[Rory]

I for one am getting sick of this lake. In December I could go anywhere and catch fish deep shallow whatever it didnt matter walleye and crappie January 1 hit and so far only 4 fish 3 crappie and 1 perch Im going to give it this weekend and serch a round a little if I cant get back it to them I done with Bufflao. Plus I think this is going to be the last year of fishing this lake anyways with all the people out there. Maybe when I have kids it will be a good lake to go back and fish but I think it is time to give Pulaski alook beebe, constance, charlotte only thing I never fished these lakes.

[BartmanMN]

I am with you Rory. It seems like the pressured fish have seen everything by now. Tonight I tried Euro larva on a host of different jigs, then tipped with minnow, and even some new plastics. I only managed to pull up 1 perch. I had a dead stick as well, which didn't work either. I had the schools coming under me, but I could not get them to bite. I will also be starting to hop out on other lakes.

[fishgutz77]

As long as the DNR keeps stocking the lake there is no such thing as a NATURAL cycle. IF large predator fish are taken out or stocked the cycle will follow acordingly.

The crappies being caught now are 2 and 3 year old fish that have exploded due to lower pike and walleye numbers.

Some guys I know are catching 26-30" walleys in 6-8 ft of water right now late at night with big shiners.

go to the montrose office and talk to the guys there they got a good handle on whats happening.

[Vex Guy]

Never said anything about the walleyes being a NATURAL cycle.. They have always been stocked in the lake and always will!!

No secret...The Lake has always had a bunch of those 26-30" fish and larger! If a guy wants to camp out overnite on the south end... you can get your 1-2 fish everynight all winter in 6-8'. They have been biting down there since first ice.

The lake has NEVER been stocked with crappies from the DNR!

You may want to call or go to the Montrose office and have the guys explain this NATURAL Buffalo Lake crappie cycle to you.

Montrose office 763-675-3301

[jigginjim]

I think if truck loads of small gravel rock were poured, on to the ice in late winter over the shallow humps, in the spring this could maybe make more spawning grounds for walleyes.