Death to Buffalo Lake

[Rory]

I write today with a heavy heart, a once great fishing lake has been killed. On most days you could go out to Buffalo Lake and catch a verity of sized fish such as crappies and walleyes, but that has recently ended. You ask yourself why? Could be the hundreds of thousands fisherman. Might be everyone is keeping there catch every time out, and practicing CPR (Catch,Photo,Release). I don’t know. But I do know one thing the area has lost on of the great lakes.

In closing I would just like to say it has been fun the memories have been great and cherish able. Rest in Peace Buffalo Lake.

[Jake M]

As of right now i think Buffalo is fine!! Now all we need is about 6 feet of snow to keep everyone off of it the rest of the year and she will survive! Otherwise i dont know how much more pressure its gonna get out there! Another crappie lake i ice fish alot in the winter is Rush lake up by Rush City! That lake gets way more pressure then buffalo does by along shot year after year and produces all the time. Its relatively same size lake but ive never seen this much pressure on buffalo i just hope she can pull it out. Just a few thoughts on someone that hasnt given up.

[Rory]

Ive fished Rush my self also about once a year for the three years. Rush has alot of fish in it and it gets alot of pressure too. I get what you are saying.

I made the post because Ive been last thursday,friday,saturday and today and only 3 semi jumbo perch and 12 crappies. Ive been going ever since the 1st of December and catching at least as many in one day then I caught in four days.

Just a little concerned Ive been deep ive shallow crappie minnows, fatheads, erolarvee, waxworms, plastics big jigs small jigs and 15 fish in 4 days is all I can show for it!!!!!

[Jake M]

I understand completly what your talking about rory....the month of december on buffalo could possibly be one of the best months of crappie fishing i have seen in wright county ever!!! About a week ago i was lets not say sick of catching my limits of crappies out there but was actually looking for a challenge. I have actually caught crappies almost every part of that lake, so i did for laughs went out there new years weekend one nite went to a totally off the wall spot were there wasnt a fish house within 400 yards. drilled holes set up my portable, set one rod down with euro larvae and getting my bobber rod ready with a crappie minnow on it, didnt even get my bobber down i marked a fish jigged the euro larvae caught one instantly and i limited out in 15 minutes!! by the third fish i had no larvae left on and i thought what the [PoorWordUsage] and filled my limit with NO BAIT!!! this weekend i didnt fish as much at all caught 6 with my son saturday nite and lost 8 more....my boy is only 4 and i only had an hour to do it in. This morning i caught only 5 but was new spot i had fished last year. So have some faith maybe the slow fishing will drive some ppl away!! Cant post too much more info otherwise ill have 500 ppl there, but i tell ya i think the fish are scattering and pushing to new spots, possibly other lakes!

[Bohonk316]

years ago it was like this also,and in the spring too when you could still fish the little lagoon by the Mill creek people would line up shoulder to shoulder and just nail em as fast as you could cast and reel em in and re-bait.My grandpa used to take me,what a great palce for a kid to fish.That was back when you could also keep 15 a piece.The lake pulled through then I think it'll be fine.It's not to often that I get to " meet " another person named Rory not many of us around.

[DHanson]

You need a tissue? J/K

With great bites in heavy populated areas comes great pressure. That's the way it is. Sucks, but the true great fishermen learn to adapt to these changes and search out new spots away from the crowds.

[lovetheice]

so true, it happened to Diamond lake last year, over 600 fish houses on it and it is close to the same again this year. So expect for people to keep coming out there for the next year also. Like said earlier, it is to easy to fish on a lake that is in town for all to use.

[glenn57]

and i assume yous guys practiced catch and release most of the time, right?

[Jake M]

I can admit i do catch and release SOME of the time!

[fishersofmen]

Fact is the vast majority of anglers keep large panfish whenever they can. That will never change unless they make it illegal. Nobody goes fishing to catch 7 inch crappies (unless you want little kids to just have fun). Everyone chases large panfish and the majority keep them including myself. I personally have fished my favorite lake (Buffalo) only once this winter because I don't want to deal with the caos.

[jigginjim]

I'll agree the pressure on Buffalo also, gets added by people willing to drive out from the metro. Also when writers and other need some thing to pump up Buffalo gets tagged. After this winter we maybe hard pressed to find crappies bigger than 8inches. The Walleyes have not been a really big deal this year. I have chatted with over 100 guys very few guys have even caught a walleye all season.

[Jake M]

Hey jim i havent heard anyone catching any walleyes out there this year either. A couple of the times i was out there fishing last year i couldnt keep those stocked 12-13 inch walleyes off my hook, i released them but there were severall all the same size. So shouldnt this year there be an abundance of 13-14 inch walleyes? And if not did a million ppl keep all those last year?

[Drewski]

I doubt people were doing a lot of catch n release. Most people just don't get it.

[Rory]

I agree people dont get it (Catch and Release) I fish alot I go out and sit there think about things listen to the ice and the other people out there if I catch a fish it is a bonus I just want to get away from it for a little while and have some time for my self.

People think Im crazy for going out and sitting on a piece of ice and not keep anything its all about catch and release.

[Drewski]

It sure is a shame!

[Vex Guy]

Buffalo needs regs on it!!!!

With the metro population closing in ...it will be all over but the Carp!!

[Rory]

There is a statewide reg on wallyeye on all inland waters i belive from reading the regs all walleye 15 inches is this true a 5 limit of crappie on buffalo would be nice but it still is going to take a while to bring it back. Can someone verify this.

[jigginjim]

Inland lakes,

walleyes/sauger, 6 fish, not more than 1 over 20 inches, each day.

pike, 3fish, not more than 1 over 30" inches.

crappies is 10,

sunfish 20.

NOTE: you must read regs carefully, checking the special regs on lakes section.

But then there those people who will go out and catch limit after limit in 1 day, yet whine " that the fishing stinks", "the DNR isn't doing enough". WELL. DUH!

Note from admin, please read forum policy before posting again, thank you.

[Vex Guy]

Note from admin, please read forum policy before posting again, thank you.

[DaveZman14q]

Ive iced a few nice walleyes out there this year... all came around midnight 18ish feet of water on a nice little sandy break mid lake personally I think the ticket is late night

[marshmallow]

5 years ago we had fantastic "Walleye" fishing.. Even 4 years ago.. Wittnessed the decline.. TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES.. FISHING PREASURE.. AND PREASURE.. AND PREASURE.. AND PREASURE..Yes I agree there needs to be "Reg's" applied to Buffalo.. And some more "Selective Harvesting" in practice.. Is it a $$$$ issue with the D.N.R.?? Or can it start with the anglers them self also?? I once got BARKED!! at from a Fishing Minnesota member saying that "Selective Harvesting" should not be on the same page as "Metro Walleye's".. Yes Buffalo needs some help..

[Caleb S]

I write today with a heavy heart, a once great fishing lake has been killed. On most days you could go out to Buffalo Lake and catch a verity of sized fish such as crappies and walleyes, but that has recently ended. You ask yourself why? Could be the hundreds of thousands fisherman. Might be everyone is keeping there catch every time out, and practicing CPR (Catch,Photo,Release). I don’t know. But I do know one thing the area has lost on of the great lakes.

In closing I would just like to say it has been fun the memories have been great and cherish able. Rest in Peace Buffalo Lake.

I think you should have vented to your hunting dog not this site. Now half of the responses are people telling how they have/are still having good luck out there, walleyes and crappies. These fishing reports might be a lot better than what people have been finding on other lakes. You might have successfully talked another 50 people into driving out this weekend to see what the squawk is all about.

[jigginjim]

Your a lucky guy. I have put in may hours, mostly fishing Crappies, but we would normally get a couple walleyes some place along the way.

[Jake M]

Yeah Caleb your right fishing on buffalo sucks all the way around

[&JAG]

Too many people... Have fun guys.

[jigginjim]

I decided to give Buffalo a rest for the rest of the year. After reading DNR reports I'm looking at new waters, that people don't fish.

[Keith_MN]

I am always amazed by how well Buffalo Lake handles all the pressure it gets. Its one of my favorite first ice lakes, but I rarely fish it once people start driving all over it. It was a lot of fun watching the crappies come up out of 20' of water thru 3 - 4 inches of crystal clear ice early this winter.

The last time I fished Buffalo this year there were less than 12 inches of ice and people were driving around with full size extended cab pickups. One pickup drove within 15' of my portable and the ice was cracking so bad I was shaking my head. I decided right then and there it was time to call it quits til next winter. The crappie bite was definitely a good one out there this winter, but there are a lot of other lakes that have decent fishing with a lot less traffic.

[sticknstring]

Yeah the December crappie bite was nothing short of phenomenal. The lake is like a ghost town now however, at least on the south end. I've been moving the house every night chasing crappies/walleyes around but it's been hit or miss with a lot of misses. I like the lake because it's close but it may be time to move on.