Buchanan Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56020900
DNR records show 6 stocking entries at Buchanan Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2024 (835,000 fish).
- Buchanan Lake has 6 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2024): walleye (6).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 5,010,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 42 ft; surface area 964 acres, 835 littoral acres, 7.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 9.5 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Ottertail; DNR lake number (DOW) 56020900.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 835,000 | 7.3 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 835,000 | 7.6 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 835,000 | 7.3 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 835,000 | 7.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 835,000 | 7.1 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 835,000 | 7.1 |
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2014
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 100.11 | 901 | 0.05 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 7.56 | 68 | 0.75 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 6.67 | 60 | 0.26 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 5.11 | 46 | 0.27 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 3.22 | 29 | 0.40 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 1.56 | 14 | 1.86 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 1.52 |
| Brown bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.97 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 15.67 | 141 | 0.17 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 14.67 | 132 | 0.78 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 10.22 | 92 | 1.48 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 4.33 | 39 | 0.14 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard gill nets | 3.78 | 34 | 0.45 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 2.67 | 24 | 3.85 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 1.67 | 15 | 1.51 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 1.11 | 10 | 0.22 |
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.
Buchanan Lake is a 929-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in east-central Otter Tail County approximately two miles north of Ottertail, MN. The lake has a maximum depth of 42 feet; however, 90% of the lake is less than 15 feet in depth. The secchi disc reading in this assessment was 11.8 feet. Previous secchi disk readings have ranged from 3.0 to 11.0 feet. Shoreline development is considered to be moderate on Buchanan Lake. A state owned public access is located on the northwest shoreline. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. Shoreline substrates consist primarily of sand. Mucky areas are confined to the bays. Hardstem bulrush and common cattails are located in various locations around the lake. They provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical for maintaining good water quality. Emergent plants provide spawning areas for fish such as Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and panfish. They also serve as important nursery areas for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. To maintain the excellent water quality and angling that this lake has to offer, it is imperative to preserve the quality of the aquatic habitat. Buchanan Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Black Crappie are the dominant gamefish species. Suitable spawning habitat for these species exists throughout the lake. Buchanan Lake boasts an abundant Northern Pike population. Northern Pike ranged in length from 13.4 to 28.0 inches with a mean length of 19.2 inches. Northern Pike attain an average length of 20.6 inches at five years of age. Bluegills are very abundant. Twenty-one percent of the Bluegills measured 7.0 inches or greater in length. Bluegills attain an average length of 6.3 inches at five years of age. Age data indicate that Black Crappie reproduction is consistently good. Crappies ranged in length from 3.7 to 11.1 inches with an average length of 7.6 inches. Black Crappies attain an average length of 8.5 inches at five years of age. A balanced Largemouth Bass population exists. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 9.7 to 18.6 inches with an average length and weight of 13.5 inches and 1.5 pounds. Largemouth Bass attain a mean length of 13.9 inches at five years of age. Walleyes are moderately abundant. Walleyes ranged in length from 14.3 to 26.3 inches with an average length and…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
Hear when the states we cover post stockings
One email a week in season: which waters in the states we cover were stocked, straight from the state agencies' own postings. No spam, no fishing-gear ads in the mail.
Free · double opt-in · unsubscribe anytime · we store only your email.