Minnesota · Wright County
Deer Lake Fishing guide
Deer Lake sits in Wright County, Minnesota, and covers 171 acres, reaching 27 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 4 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 5 times, most recently in 2023, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
WalleyeGood numbers5.7per gill net16"Typical24"Biggest
Lengths measured · 35 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 35 fish
2023Lengths measured · 6 fish
2013Only 6 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 36 fish
1993Largemouth bassGood numbers50.2per hr (electrofishing)14"Typical20"Biggest
Lengths measured · 100 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 100 fish
2023Lengths measured · 23 fish
2013Lengths measured · 16 fish
1993No recent survey rating.
Northern pikeGood numbers12.7per gill net20"Typical32"Biggest
Lengths measured · 75 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 75 fish
2023Lengths measured · 38 fish
2013Lengths measured · 196 fish
1993BluegillOne of the best around94.4per trap net5"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 892 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 892 fish
2023Lengths measured · 33 fish
2013Lengths measured · 5 fish
1993Only 5 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
CrappieJust a few2.8per trap net8"Typical12"Biggest
Lengths measured · 100 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 100 fish
2023Lengths measured · 44 fish
2013Lengths measured · 23 fish
1993Yellow perchExcellent numbers16per gill net5"Typical7"Biggest
Lengths measured · 100 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 100 fish
2023Lengths measured · 15 fish
2013Lengths measured · 93 fish
1993Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Deer Lake through the year
Walleye
- Spring
- Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. In 4 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
- Early summer
- Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
- Summer
- Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure. With 74% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. In 4 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
- 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 74% 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.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Size history
Biggest fish by survey year
| Survey year | Walleye | Largemouth bass | Northern pike |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 24" | 20" | 32" |
| 2013 | 23" | 20" | 35" |
| 1993 | 25" | 16" | 36" |
Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Walleye · Trolling
Snap Weights + Stickbaits
4–5" suspending or slow-floating stickbait
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 · Jigs & bladed
Spinnerbait
3/8–1/2 oz safety-pin spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades
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 2023 survey
Deer Lake is located south of the city of Buffalo in Wright County. The lake is 163 acres and has a maximum depth of 27 feet. Deer Lake has a large watershed with land use dominated by agriculture, development, and pasture. A public access is located on the south end near the outlet. Mill Creek flows through Buffalo Lake into Deer Lake via a navigable channel and flows out of Deer Lake to the North Fork Crow River. Deer Lake was last surveyed in 2013.
Walleye are not stocked, but likely immigrate from Buffalo Lake and the North Fork Crow River. Walleye net catches were within the expected range of values for lakes similar to Deer and have increased since the last survey to a record high for Deer Lake. Walleye ranged in length from 10.4 to 25.0 inches , with an average length and weight of 16.0 inches and 1.7 pounds. Growth was fast compared to the statewide average, taking two years to reach 15 inches. Fifty-three percent of Walleye were longer than 15 inches, and anglers may find themselves encountering more Walleye in Deer Lake for the next few years.
Read the full DNR narrative
Northern Pike numbers were also higher than 2013, but both catch rate and size were still within the range of expected values for similar lakes. Northern Pike ranged in length from 13.3 to 32.8 inches with an average length and weight of 21.8 inches and 2.4 pounds. Forty-five percent of Northern Pike were longer than 21 inches with nineteen percent longer than 26 inches.
Largemouth bass were sampled by boat electrofishing in the spring and the catch rate was similar to the Sauk Rapid's area average . Largemouth bass lengths ranged from 6.8 to 20.5 inches with an average length and weight of 14.0 inches and 1.8 pounds. Forty-six percent of Largemouth Bass were longer than 15 inches.
Black Crappie net catches were within the range of expected values for lakes similar to Deer, but were higher than 2013 and 1993. Black Crappie lengths ranged from 5.8 to 12.8 inches with an average length and weight of 8.5 inches and 0.4 pounds. Seventy-two percent of Black Crappie were longer than 8 inches and fourteen percent were longer than 10 inches. Anglers may find a higher abundance of Black Crappie in coming years, and larger fish with more opportunity for harvest than in the past.
The Bluegill catch was the highest on record for Deer Lake, consisting of many, smaller fish. Bluegill lengths ranged from 3.1 to 9.1 inches with an average length and weight of 5.4 inches and 0.2 pounds. Yellow perch numbers have been highly variable, possibly due to the fluctuation in Northern Pike numbers, but were higher in 2023 than in 2013. Yellow Perch lengths in 2023 ranged from 4.5 to 7.4 inches with a mean length of 5.9 inches.
Other species captured included: Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Bowfin (Dogfish), Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Golden Shiner, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Bigmouth Buffalo, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead. The black bullhead numbers have increased from 2013 to 2023 but remain lower than previous surveys.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Deer Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Deer 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.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Deer Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Deer Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Goose Lake · 52 ac · 0.4 mi
- Mink Lake · 94 ac · 1.3 mi
- Buffalo Lake · 1,552 ac · 1.5 mi
- South Berthiaume Lake · 20 ac · 1.9 mi
- North Berthiaume Lake · 24 ac · 2.2 mi
- Albert Lake · 58 ac · 2.8 mi
- South Twin Lake · 44 ac · 3.3 mi
- North Twin Lake · 49 ac · 3.7 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Deer Lake?
Deer Lake reaches 27 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 9 ft; about 74% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Deer Lake?
Deer Lake covers 171 acres with about 2.1 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Deer Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Deer Lake average 4 ft of visibility, on the stained end for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Deer Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2023) record walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish.
Is Deer Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Deer Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Deer Lake have a public access?
Yes. Deer Lake has one public access site: Deer Lake (trailer launch).
How big do walleye get in Deer Lake?
The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 24"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1993.
When was Deer Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Deer Lake in 2023, the most recent of 5 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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