Fishing Buchanan Lake in Cochrane District, Ontario

• Overview

  This water sits in Cochrane District, Ontario. The land about it is boreal forest. At some 4.31 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. With 14 km or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Few waters listed in Cochrane District are bigger. The town to know is Kapuskasing, 62 km out. Hearst follows at 63 km, then Hornepayne at 113 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Buchanan Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Open biodiversity records for Cochrane District list northern pike, yellow perch and white sucker. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Buchanan Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 16°C in July and bottom out at -19°C in January. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early May. Ice usually gives way near early May, and forms again about mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. The season on Buchanan Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Fergus Lake is 6.9 km distant. Treat Buchanan Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.