Lake Buffum is its own water — no canal or chain connection — spreading 1,500 secluded acres in the quadrangle between Fort Meade, Frostproof, Bartow, and Lake Wales, far enough from all four to stay quiet. Its level swings with the seasons, which for years made launching a gamble; in January 2025 the county opened a new ramp built around a walled entry channel designed to reach the lake at any level.
Bucket-mouth country, in the county's own phrase: bass on the vegetation edges of open, undeveloped water, with bluegill and catfish behind them, fished by the few who make the drive down Doc Lindsey Road. The seasonal level swings that once complicated launching still reshape the margins year to year — new water, new edges, same fish. Wind owns the open middle by afternoon, as everywhere in south Polk.
Plain English Summary
| Largemouth bass | Statewide regulations apply: five black bass daily, only one 16 inches or longer. |
| Water levels | Buffum's level swings seasonally by design of nature — the 2025 ramp's walled channel was built for it, but margins, bars, and edges move year to year. Treat every season's shoreline as new water. |
| Full legal text | Official boating regulations → |
What's the story with the new Lake Buffum boat ramp?
Why choose Lake Buffum?
Lake Buffum is the getaway lake that finally got a reliable door. Fifteen hundred acres of undeveloped water sit hidden between Fort Meade, Frostproof, Bartow, and Lake Wales — far from all four, which is the point — with a level that swings by the season. For years the ramp swung with it; the state inventory carried the warning right in the facility's name, '(Not Usable During Low Water).' In January 2025 the county retired the problem, opening a purpose-built ramp at 2808 Doc Lindsey Road with a walled entry channel engineered to reach the lake at any level, plus real parking — the newest public launch in Polk County.
The fishing matches the county's own pitch: bucket-mouth bass on the vegetation edges of open water, bluegill and catfish in support, and pressure kept merciful by the fifteen-minute drive from the nearest downtown. Seasonal swings still redraw the margins annually — new bars, moved edges, the same fish relocated — so re-learn the water each season. Eight trailer spots that rarely fill, after-hours launching permitted, no fee, no crowd: south Polk's quiet circuit — Reedy, Crooked, Buffum — has its most dependable corner here.