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Fishing Buffalo Lake: what the data says
461-acre lake near Sargent County. North Dakota Game & Fish survey water. The lake tops out around 15 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Walleye fishing at Buffalo Lake
Spring walleye on Buffalo Lake hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. Summer fish stay in 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 5 to 15 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 15 ft, rated prime for fall walleye. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Northern Pike fishing at Buffalo Lake
Spring northern pike on Buffalo Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Buffalo Lake
Spring yellow perch on Buffalo Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 5 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Back-bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Buffalo Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 5 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 5 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
White Bass fishing at Buffalo Lake
Start shallow in spring: white bass sit in 2 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for white bass in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | see map |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | see map |
Crappie fishing at Buffalo Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Buffalo Lake also holds bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), channel catfish (5 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 15 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 15 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 15 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 5 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 5 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Crooked Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Buffalo Lake?
Buffalo Lake is about 15 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Buffalo Lake?
Anglers target smallmouth bass, walleye, white bass, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, yellow perch on Buffalo Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Buffalo Lake?
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Buffalo Lake?
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.
Nearby waters
Ole Breum Lake · Consolidated Lake · Sprague Lake · Silver Lake · Lake Tewaukon · Dead Colt Creek
See how Buffalo Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in North Dakota · best walleye lakes in North Dakota · best white bass lakes in North Dakota · best northern pike lakes in North Dakota
Browse all North Dakota fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.