Constance

Lake Constance is a 161-acre recreational development lake located 2 miles northwest of the City of Buffalo in central Wright County. It has a small watershed with the primary land uses being agriculture, forest, and pasture. The lake has poor water quality and has experienced both summer and winterkills in the past. The lake has no outlet so water levels can fluctuate dramatically depending on ground water conditions. A public access is located along the NW side of the lake with room for up to four truck/trailer combos. A standard lake survey was conducted in 2021 to update fisheries data last collected in 2011. Walleye stocking has been attempted in the past with little success and was discontinued after 1990. No walleyes have been caught over the past two surveys. Anglers have an opportunity to catch quality-sized Northern Pike. The low numbers of pike in the lake has allowed them to achieve a larger size. Anglers are still encouraged to harvest small pike (26 inches) to help protect this larger size structure. Northern Pike sampled ranged in length from 21 to 37 inches with an average length and weight of 29 inches and 6 pounds. Sixty-five percent of the pike caught were longer than 26 inches and 29% were longer than 30 inches. Largemouth Bass may also provide a great angling opportunity with many quality-sized fish in the lake. Two hundred thirty- eight bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing in May 2021. The catch was much higher than previous surveys and three times higher than the average daytime catch for Sauk Rapids Area lakes. Bass sampled ranged in length from 6 to 19 inches with an average length of 13 inches. Most of the bass were good-sized with 52% being longer than 12 inches and 23% longer than 15 inches. The Yellow Perch catch continues to be low. Only nine perch were caught and ranged in length from 6 to 12 inches with an average length of 9 inches. Since Northern Pike numbers are low and Walleye are absent, Yellow Perch abundance has the potential to increase over the next few years. Panfish are another great asset to this lake. In 2021, trap net sampling was completed in the spring instead of summer for the first time. The goal was to capture a larger sample of crappie, but only one was caught. This was the lowest catch on record. However, crappie abundance appears to be good as the gill net catch was within the range of expected values for the lake class. Black Crappie sampled ranged in length from 6 to 11 inches and averaged eight 8 inches. Sixty-seven percent of the crappie sampled were longer than 8 inches and 6% were longer than 10 inches. Bluegill catches showed a similar trend as the trap net catch was also the lowest on record, but the gill net catch was the highest. Bluegill sampled ranged in length from 3 to 9 inches with an average length of 7 inches. Although some larger Bluegill were sampled, only 6% were over 8 inches. Other species sampled during the survey included Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Bowfin (Dogfish), Hybrid Sunfish, and Pumpkinseed. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Fish harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of aquatic invasive species (AIS) can all adversely affect fish populations. In 2016, Eurasian watermilfoil was identified in Lake Constance. AIS can be moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local DNR office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Sauk Rapids Area Fisheries office.

Lake Constance is a 161-acre recreational development lake located 2 miles northwest of the City of Buffalo in central Wright County. It has a small watershed with the primary land uses being agriculture, forest, and pasture. The lake has poor water quality and has experienced both summer and winterkills in the past. The lake has no outlet so water levels can fluctuate dramatically depending on ground water conditions. A public access is located along the NW side of the lake with room for up to four truck/trailer combos. A standard lake survey was conducted in 2021 to update fisheries data last collected in 2011. Walleye stocking has been attempted in the past with little success and was discontinued after 1990. No walleyes have been caught over the past two surveys. Anglers have an opportunity to catch quality-sized Northern Pike. The low numbers of pike in the lake has allowed them to achieve a larger size. Anglers are still encouraged to harvest small pike (26 inches) to help protect this larger size structure. Northern Pike sampled ranged in length from 21 to 37 inches with an average length and weight of 29 inches and 6 pounds. Sixty-five percent of the pike caught were longer than 26 inches and 29% were longer than 30 inches. Largemouth Bass may also provide a great angling opportunity with many quality-sized fish in the lake. Two hundred thirty- eight bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing in May 2021. The catch was much higher than previous surveys and three times higher than the average daytime catch for Sauk Rapids Area lakes. Bass sampled ranged in length from 6 to 19 inches with an average length of 13 inches. Most of the bass were good-sized with 52% being longer than 12 inches and 23% longer than 15 inches. The Yellow Perch catch continues to be low. Only nine perch were caught and ranged in length from 6 to 12 inches with an average length of 9 inches. Since Northern Pike numbers are low and Walleye are absent, Yellow Perch abundance has the potential to increase over the next few years. Panfish are another great asset to this lake. In 2021, trap net sampling was completed in the spring instead of summer for the first time. The goal was to capture a larger sample of crappie, but only one was caught. This was the lowest catch on record. However, crappie abundance appears to be good as the gill net catch was within the range of expected values for the lake class. Black Crappie sampled ranged in length from 6 to 11 inches and averaged eight 8 inches. Sixty-seven percent of the crappie sampled were longer than 8 inches and 6% were longer than 10 inches. Bluegill catches showed a similar trend as the trap net catch was also the lowest on record, but the gill net catch was the highest. Bluegill sampled ranged in length from 3 to 9 inches with an average length of 7 inches. Although some larger Bluegill were sampled, only 6% were over 8 inches. Other species sampled during the survey included Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Bowfin (Dogfish), Hybrid Sunfish, and Pumpkinseed. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Fish harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of aquatic invasive species (AIS) can all adversely affect fish populations. In 2016, Eurasian watermilfoil was identified in Lake Constance. AIS can be moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local DNR office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Sauk Rapids Area Fisheries office.

Lake Constance is a 161-acre recreational development lake located two and a half miles northwest of the city of Buffalo in central Wright County. The lake has poor water quality and has experienced summerkills and winterkills in the past. Lake Constance has a public access located along the NW side of the lake off of 44th Street NE. The lake is primarily managed for largemouth bass and northern pike. Walleye stocking has been attempted in the past with little success and was discontinued after 1990. This was the first survey since 2001. Curled pondweed was surveyed on June 8, 2011 and found growing at or near the surface on 20% of the lake surface area. Emergent and sub-mergent aquatic plants were surveyed on August 8, 2011. Sixteen species of aquatic plants were sampled during the survey. Coontail and Canada waterweed were the most common species. Rooted vegetation grew to a maximum depth of 9.5 feet. The catch of northern pike was low and below the expected values for similar lakes. Only three northern pike were sampled and ranged from 17 - 32 inches. Northern pike abundance has decreased each survey since 1990. Largemouth bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing in May 2011. The catch rate was greater than reported in 2001 and double the Montrose area day time average. Largemouth bass ranged in length from 5 - 19 inches. Growth of largemouth bass was slow. Largemouth bass reached 12 inches in 5 years. Yellow perch abundance was similar to 2001 and near the low end of expected values for similar lakes. Yellow perch abundance was at or above average from 1979  1990, but the catch in both 2001 and 2011 were significantly lower than 1990. Growth of yellow perch was fast. Yellow perch reached 7.7 inches in 3 years. Since northern pike numbers are low and walleye are absent, yellow perch abundance may increase over the next few years. The catch of black crappie was low, but within the range of expected values for similar lakes. Black crappie abundance was at or above average in four of the past five surveys. This was the lowest catch on record. Black crappie ranged in length from 4 - 11 inches and averaged 8 inches and 0.3 pounds. Twenty-seven percent of black crappies were larger than 9 inches. The largest black crappie was 11 inches and 0.8 pounds. Black crappie growth was slow. Black crappie reached 9 inches in 7 years. The bluegill catch was lower than 2001, but within the range of expected values for similar lakes. Bluegill averaged 6 inches and 0.2 pounds. Thirty-five percent of the bluegills were larger than 7 inches. The largest bluegill was 8.7 inches and 0.5 pounds. Bluegill growth was average. Bluegill reached 7 inches in 5 years. Other species sampled during the survey included: bowfin (dogfish), brook stickleback, brown bullhead, central mudminnow, fathead minnow, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, and yellow bullhead.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Hybrid Sunfish, and White Crappie in Constance. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Constance. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Constance has a maximum depth of 23 feet and a mean depth of 12.5 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Constance is from 2021.

Yes — Constance has confirmed Eurasian watermilfoil. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.