South Berthiaume Lake
Wright County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 86013102
South Berthiaume Lake has no DNR stocking rows in LakeFinder; this page carries its DNR depth, access and survey data.
- South Berthiaume Lake shows no stocking records in Minnesota DNR LakeFinder as of .
- Maximum depth 73 ft, mean depth 20 ft; surface area 20 acres, 12 littoral acres, 0.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Wright County, nearest town Buffalo; DNR lake number (DOW) 86013102.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| C | - | Difficult during low water levels |
DNR fish survey, 2007
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 36.67 | 110 | 0.09 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.67 | 5 | 0.11 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 4 | 0.47 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 4 | 0.09 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.67 | 2 | 0.22 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.33 | 1 | 0.55 |
| Bluegill | Survey seining | 25.00 | 25 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Survey seining | 4.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Survey seining | 1.00 | 1 | 0.03 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Survey seining | 1.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 6.50 | 13 | 0.04 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 4.00 | 8 | 3.17 |
| Black bullhead | Standard gill nets | 3.00 | 6 | 0.47 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 2.00 | 4 | 0.06 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 0.04 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 1 | 0.40 |
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.
The Berthiaume Lakes are small basins divided by Wright CSAH 35 and located one mile west of Buffalo in east central Wright County. No public access exists although small boats may be launched from the road right of way on these natural environment lakes. The lakes are deep and surrounded by a cattail fringe. Little development has occurred. No stocking has been done and management has been limited to this, and the initial lake survey done in 1983. The Berthiaume Lakes are delightful little lakes which should provide many hours of recreational angling to riparian owners. Water quality is excellent and summer water clarity is 10 feet or more. Curled pondweed, which is a problem on other area lakes, grew at or near the surface on 3.8% of North Berthiaume Lake; and was sparse on South Berthiaume Lake. Arrowhead and cattail were the most common emergent plants. Coontail and watershield were the most abundant submerged plants. At the time the surveys were conducted (mid-July), oxygen was adequate for fish down to 30 feet or more. Few changes appear evident since the last survey in 1983. Northern pike catches were low compared to most area lakes. Nonetheless, anglers have a good opportunity to catch a smaller-sized northern pike on these lakes. Only one perch was taken during the survey. The primary management species for the Berthiaume Lakes might be largemouth bass. However, because of poor access and the abundance of aquatic vegetation, low numbers of largemouth bass were taken during daytime electrofishing on North Berthiaume Lake. A few largemouth bass were taken with trap nets. With good water quality and abundant aquatic vegetation largemouth bass should thrive in these lakes. Bluegills were more abundant than crappies in the Berthiaume Lakes. Bluegill abundance was within the expected range for both lakes, however the average size was small (5 inches) and growth was slow. Black crappie abundance was lower than the expected range for both lakes. Only six black crappies were sampled and all were from South Berthiaume Lake. Other species taken during the survey included: black, brown and yellow bullhead, central mudminnow, green, hybrid, and pumpkinseed sunfish. Water quality is a major concern for lakes in Wright County. Surrounding land use practices can have a detrimental effect on the water quality and recreational value of a lake. Maintaining the water quality in the Berthiaume Lakes should be a high priority for the county and the landowners around the lake.
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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