Light Foot Lake
Wright County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 86012200
Light Foot Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- Light Foot Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 22 ft, mean depth 9 ft; surface area 69 acres, 56 littoral acres, 1.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Wright County, nearest town Buffalo; DNR lake number (DOW) 86012200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
DNR fish survey, 2008
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Survey seining | 310.33 | 931 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Survey seining | 45.33 | 136 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Survey seining | 43.33 | 130 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Survey seining | 17.00 | 51 | 0.00 |
| Emerald shiner | Survey seining | 15.00 | 45 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Survey seining | 2.00 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Survey seining | 1.67 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | Survey seining | 1.33 | 4 | 0.04 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 20.75 | 83 | 0.29 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 7.75 | 31 | 0.62 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 3.75 | 15 | 3.80 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.75 | 11 | 2.01 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 1.50 | 6 | 0.13 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.25 | 5 | 3.10 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 1.25 | 5 | 0.24 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.75 | 3 | 1.05 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 15.00 | 90 | 0.20 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 12.17 | 73 | 0.27 |
| Common carp | Standard trap nets | 2.83 | 17 | 6.62 |
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 4 | 1.03 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 4 | 0.80 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 3 | 1.14 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 1 | 0.28 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.17 | 1 | 1.39 |
| Walleye | Standard electrofishing | 12.19 | 12 | 2.09 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard electrofishing | 11.17 | 11 | 1.52 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Lightfoot Lake is a 64 acre lake located two miles northwest of Buffalo. The lake has been low priority for management because it has no public access and is subject to winter kill. Lightfoot Lake is of interest because good fishing occasionally exists. This was the first survey since 1962. The maximum depth of Lightfoot Lake is 22 feet. Dissolved oxygen, measured on 24 June, was 0.6 ppm at 11 feet. Secchi depth was 3.5 feet. Aquatic plants were diverse but grew only to a depth of 1.5 feet. Electrofishing was conducted for the first time on Lightfoot Lake on 7 May during daylight. In approximately one hour, eleven largemouth bass and twelve walleye were collected. Largemouth bass were between 11 and 17 inches with an average length of 14 inches. Walleye collected by all gear on Lightfoot Lake were between 10 and 25 inches with an average length of 18 inches. Growth of both species was faster than the statewide averages. Since walleye are not stocked in Lightfoot Lake, walleye likely immigrated from nearby Buffalo Lake via Mill Creek. The catch of northern pike, 3.75/gill net, was about average for similar lakes. Fish were between 18 and 30 inches. Average length and weight were 25 inches and 4 pounds. Seventy-three percent of northern pike were greater than 24 inches. Black crappie were collected in gill nets and trap nets. The trap net catch rate, 22/net, and average weight, 0.3 pounds, were within expected ranges. Fish from all netting were between 4 and 10 inches and averaged 8 inches. Growth was fast compared to similar lakes. Black crappie could be expected to reach eight inches between ages three and four. Both the trap net catch rate for bluegill, 15/net, and the average weight of each fish, 0.20 pounds, were near the average for similar lakes. Bluegill from both trap nets and gill nets ranged from 4 to 8.5 inches with an average length of six inches. Growth was above average for similar lakes as bluegill grew to six inches between ages three and four. Other fish collected were black and yellow bullhead, bowfin, carp, white sucker, hybrid and pumpkinseed sunfish, Johnny darter, bluntnose minnow, and common, emerald and golden shiner. At the time of this writing (winter 2009) Lightfoot Lake had sustained another winter kill.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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