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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 readings have ranged from 3.0 to 11.0 feet. 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 development is considered to be moderate on Buchanan Lake. 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 provides good summer and winter angling opportunities for a variety of species. Buchanan Lake has good populations of bluegill, black crappie, and largemouth bass. These species thrive because of the quality habitat that exists. The test-net catch rate indicates that bluegills are very abundant. Ten percent of the bluegills were 7.0 inches or greater in length. Bluegills attain an average length of 6.3 inches at six years of age. A spring trap net assessment was conducted to analyze the black crappie population. Age data indicate that black crappie reproduction is consistently good. Crappies ranged in length from 7.6 to 12.7 inches with an average length of 10.3 inches. Black crappies attain an average length of 9.8 inches at five years of age. The test-net catch rate indicates that largemouth bass are also abundant. Largemouth bass ranged in length from 7.8 to 15.7 inches with an average length of 12.8 inches. Bass attain a mean length of 11.6 inches at four years of age. Walleyes are moderately abundant. Walleyes ranged in length from 17.8 to 27.9 inches with an average length and weight of 21.9 inches and 3.7 pounds. Walleye attain an average length of 15.3 inches at three years of age. Anglers can maintain the quality of angling by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium to large size fish while allowing the harvest of more abundant smaller fish for table fare. Releasing the medium to large fish will ensure that the lake will have enough spawning age fish on an annual basis and will provide anglers with more opportunities to catch large fish in the future.