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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
103-acre lake in Oneida County, Wisconsin. The lake tops out around 27 ft. Contours on this water are modeled from its actual shoreline and max depth. Good for finding likely water, never for navigation. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Buffalo Lake maps at 103 acres behind 2 miles of shoreline. A shoreline index of 1.4 says round and simple: fish relate to depth changes here, not shoreline features. Roughly 65% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 0.6 mi long by 0.5 mi wide at the broadest reach. It sits in Oneida County. If the bite dies, Sweeny Lake is 1 mi to the southwest.
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 27 ft; cold water stacks them in 8 to 27 ft. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 12 ft range, prime in fall. Fish it in the evening and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 8 to 27 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (12 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 27 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (12 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 8 to 27 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (23 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Spring puts yellow perch in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 27 ft; cold water stacks them in 8 to 27 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 8 to 27 ft | dawn | Deep basin (23 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 8 to 27 ft | midday | Deep basin (23 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 8 to 27 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (23 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring smallmouth bass on Buffalo Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 27 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 27 ft. Put Main-lake point first on the milk run — a point near 8 ft that grades prime for fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 8 to 27 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (12 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 8 to 27 ft | midday | Break off the point (12 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter an 8 to 27 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 3 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (12 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 27 ft | midday | Break off the point (12 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring crappie on Buffalo Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 27 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 23 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (12 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (12 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 8 to 27 ft | midday | Deep basin (23 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring bluegill on Buffalo Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 3 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (12 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (23 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Buffalo Lake also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
5 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 23 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Wisconsin waters are set by the Wisconsin DNR — and special regulations can apply to Buffalo Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Buffalo Lake is about 27 ft (8 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target walleye, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed on Buffalo Lake. These come from the Wisconsin DNR's per-lake fish listing; where the DNR lists a group (panfish, catfish, trout) the specific species are resolved from Wisconsin's fish distribution by the lake's location, depth and habitat.
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 12 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
For walleye, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Buffalo Lake is regulated by the Wisconsin DNR. Check the official Wisconsin regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Sweeny Lake 1 mi · Gilmore Lake 2 mi · Dog Lake 2 mi · Pickerel Lake 2 mi · Sureshot Lake 2 mi · Cunard Lake 2 mi · Little Bass Lake 2 mi · Rainbow Flowage 3 mi · Clear Lake 3 mi · Hasbrook Lake 3 mi · Carrol Lake 3 mi · Prong Lake 3 mi
See how Buffalo Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best smallmouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best walleye lakes in Wisconsin · best crappie lakes in Wisconsin
More water nearby: Oneida County fishing maps (372 charts). Browse all Wisconsin fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.