Minnesota · Crow Wing County
Butterfield Lake Fishing guide
Butterfield Lake is a 194-acre lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, reaching 23 ft at its deepest point. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 1 time, most recently in 1981, with largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and crappie in the nets. That survey is 45 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
The DNR last surveyed Butterfield Lake in 1981. Ratings need a survey from the last 20 years, so this page lists the species from that older record without numbers.
- Largemouth bass
- Northern pike
- Bluegill
- Crappie
- Yellow perch
- Rock bass
How to fish Butterfield Lake through the year
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn.
- Early summer
- Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
- Summer
- Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade. With 70% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth.
- Early summer
- Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
- Summer
- Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. With 70% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Wacky-Rigged Stickworm
5" stickworm
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Bluegill · Live bait
Clip-On Bobber + Worm
half to whole garden nightcrawler
Bluegill · Soft plastics
Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic
1–1.5" micro plastic
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
MN DNR · in their words
From the 1981 survey
Test netting indicates a good Northern Pike population although fish are small. Also a good population of Crappies and Bluegills were present. Local reports indicated a good Largemouth Bass population also, though netting didn't show many.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Butterfield Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Butterfield Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.
DNR bathymetry
Butterfield Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Eagle Lake · 350 ac · 1.3 mi
- Blue Lake · 177 ac · 2 mi
- Mitchell Lake · 429 ac · 2.2 mi
- East Fox Lake · 241 ac · 2.4 mi
- Pickerel Lake · 117 ac · 2.5 mi
- Trout Lake · 117 ac · 3 mi
- Kego Lake · 296 ac · 3.2 mi
- West Fox Lake · 449 ac · 3.2 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Butterfield Lake?
Butterfield Lake reaches 23 ft at its deepest point; about 70% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Butterfield Lake?
Butterfield Lake covers 194 acres with about 4 miles of shoreline.
What fish are in Butterfield Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 1981) record largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is Butterfield Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Butterfield Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
When was Butterfield Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Butterfield Lake in 1981. That is more than 20 years ago, so this page lists species without ratings.
Page updated .
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