Bigmouth Buffalo

Use small jigs, inline spinners like Roostertails and Mepps, small flashy spoons, and Sabiki rigs with multiple small hooks that create the illusion of a baitfish school and can trigger feeding responses. Alabama rigs and flasher rigs with abundant flash work well.

Try small nymphs, midge patterns, e.g.g patterns, and small Woolly Buggers. Some success has been reported with green marabou algae flies and weighted nymphs that mimic their zooplankton prey.

Bigmouth Buffalo spawn from April through June when water temperatures reach 55-79°F. During this spawning period, avoid targeting them as they are extremely vulnerable and recruitment success is already compromised by habitat changes.

Still fishing and drift fishing near the bottom often work best, though they sometimes feed near the surface using short up-and-down movements. Bowfishing is also popular since they often swim near the surface, especially at night under lights, though this method is contributing to population declines.

Their diet consists primarily of zooplankton (75%), particularly cladocerans and copepods, supplemented by chironomids (15%), algae, and other invertebrates.