Buffalo Lake Fishing Reports

[sticknstring]

There was a buoy on it for a few days, then it disappeared. Maybe the shifting ice snagged it and broke it loose.

[hydro]

The ice went out on Buffalo today, and is piled up at both landings. The buoy has been re-attached to the car but they have not yet pulled it out.

I also noted that all that garbage everyone talks about all winter is now floating around the lake with pretty much everything that was on shore as well. Watch out if you try to take a boat out there in the next couple of weeks, at least until all that crud washes up on shore.

[DAT]

Weeds (curly pond weed) have disappeared over the last several years on Buffalo. Since this time game fish like bass, and pike have been very difficult to find and pattern. The rough fish have increased substantially and I think contributed to poorer water quality knocking down the little chance sun already has on a poor visibility lake so the weeds cant grow. Used to be anything under 8ft grow nice pond weed and weed lines.

Anyway, I watched commercial fishermen this winter take like a 150,000lbs of carp out. Hoping this improves weed growth and fishing. I don't fish walleyes much, primarily chase pike and bass so I really like the weeds!

Please post if you are noticing changes this spring, summer with these carp taken out. -thanks

[jigginjim]

Dat, Welcome to FM. I can only hope the curly weed has lessed in the past few years. I have lived in Buffalo 7yrs now. It seems the weeds grow until July when the algea bloom hits. The water is so dark you lose site of a large spinnerbait with in the top 9in. of water. thats when weeds would normally die or choke out. I have caught small walleye under my boat in 6ft of water at that time, with such cloudy water.

[DAT]

Thank you for the welcome. I also have lived in Buffalo for about 15 years. I have lived on the lake for most of that time. I have logged hundreds of hours fishing the lake. about 4 years ago we had a stretch of 3-4 years where the curly pond weed was standing on top of depths 8ft or less. We would catch and release hundreds of pike and bass especially in early June when the weed was a few inches from the top. Then you would jig in the holes as well as the line and troll the line. We would pull very nice pike, bass, and walleye with these methods.

Strange thing is about 4 years ago the pond weed has gotten thinner and thinner to the point where it doesn't really even grow anymore. Water and Soil guys said it was a good sign to see the weed growing as water was clearing. Now the weed is gone and so is the good fishing. Only crappies and smaller walleyes (with an occasional large walleye) and very spreadout bass and pike. Not sure what happened, but hoping it cycles back. Oh...and we also caught several small mouth back on the flat in the weeds.

Let me know if you notice changes out there this year. I have mainly been fishing other lakes in the last few years.

[Iceman73]

I had planned to hit Buffalo Lake for opener, I haven't fished it in a couple of years but the fishing had been decent. A few posts on here alluded to the walleye fishing maybe not being so good on Buffalo these days, is there any truth to that?

[eyebjim]

Most of the decent size eyes have gone and the new batch of stockers need another year.

[mrklean]

from what i heard as well it was a tought year on the ice for eyes on buffalo but heard good things about clearwater

[DAT]

Buffalo needs at least one more year for eyes. Most eyes are 11-12 inches or less. A lot of guys takin those home though

Pretty good for panfish though.

[DAT]

Went on buffalo for a few hours on Saturday. The bottom of Buffalo, and Deer looks like the moon (NO WEEDS!!). Miles of sand/muck with a few scattered patches of foil. What has happened?? Pretty disturbing actually.

[Sonicrunch]

Went on buffalo for a few hours on Saturday. The bottom of Buffalo, and Deer looks like the moon (NO WEEDS!!). Miles of sand/muck with a few scattered patches of foil. What has happened?? Pretty disturbing actually.

same here. I was lost with out the weeds

[jigginjim]

Did you use a camera to look for weeds. I have not had my boat on Buffalo for 2weeks. may need to head out with camera to see if I can find any weeds in shallows. Looking to try bass fishing Buffalo this summer.

[hydro]

There is some curly leaf pondweed starting to show up along the shore. Maybe it's just late in emerging.

Hey Jim, Saw you drive by Culvers at the car show last night. I was by the candy red Plymouth Satellite.

[Sonicrunch]

Did you use a camera to look for weeds. I have not had my boat on Buffalo for 2weeks. may need to head out with camera to see if I can find any weeds in shallows. Looking to try bass fishing Buffalo this summer.

the water was very clear. you could see down 6 feet.

[DAT]

I live on Buffalo Lake. There is some patches of milfoil filling in, but not much. Even the foil is down from previous years (which is also confusing). Very spotty showing of curly leaf as well. It's not late...it just isn't there anymore except for small spots.

If you plan to bass fish find the humps in deeper water and vertical jig them. That is the only place to find them. The water is real clear right now you can see bottom up to 8 ft and there are no weeds.

I have calls into the soil n water guy and the DNR permit office. Something weird is happening. Its a big lake so I can't imagine anyone is dumping anything in the water that would be knocking the weeds out over the last 3-4 years. Maybe the crow when flooding is doing something, maybe the high number of rough fish (which as of this year have been largely taken out)have affected the weeds. I have been on the lake for 15 years fishing a lot, and something has happened.

Good luck.

[swampman]

This type of weed can run in cycles I have seen it thick in a lake one year and basically disapeer the next. This weed is not a great indicator of water quality as it will grow in some pretty turbid waters, used to find it in alot of lakes we used to trap minnows in where the water clarity might be a foot or less. As jiggin jim stated above this weed doe'nt live real long and makes a mess when it starts to die.

[DAT]

Hopefully its just a cycle thing for some reason on buffalo then. Would love to have some weedlines. I agree on water quality and mess. My beach would have it piled up a foot high and 180 feet long of weeds. Usually around July. It doesn't die off 100% though. Still leaves a lot of nice weeds to fish for the whole summer.

How is the fishing going?