Birch

Birch Lake is located approximately 18 miles NE of Ely within the BWCAW. The northern half of the lake is part of Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park. Birch Lake is 836 acres with 397 of these acres in Minnesota. Visitors should be familiar with appropriate regulations when traveling these wilderness areas. Birch Lake is a popular destination for wilderness enthusiasts and is often used by visitors traveling to or from points beyond. The two most used accesses are by a short portage or navigable channel from nearby Sucker Lake where outboard motors are allowed. No motors are allowed on Birch Lake however. There are 12 designated USFS campsites scattered along the southern shoreline for overnight use. Ten species of fish were sampled during the 2017 survey on Birch Lake. The total number of fish (42.8/gill net) was the most recorded since the 1995 survey. Walleye (38%) were the most common species sampled. Smallmouth bass were sampled in numbers slightly above average and a few largemouth bass also. Northern pike numbers continue to be stable on Birch Lake and bluegill abundance appears to be increasing. Walleye numbers in 2017 (16.5/gill net) were the highest recorded on Birch Lake. The catch was above the historic average (9.2/gill net) for the lake and above average (6.2/gill net) compared to other similar lakes in the area with walleye. The average walleye sampled was 16 inches long and about 4 years old. Sixty-eight percent of the walleye were 15 inches or larger with a maximum length of almost 27 inches. Smallmouth bass numbers in 2017 (2.2/gill net) were slightly above the historic average (1.2/gill net) and also above average (1.2/gill net) compared to other similar area lakes. The average smallmouth sampled was 11 inches long and about 5 years old. The largest smallmouth sampled in 2017 was 18 inches long. Northern pike numbers in 2017 (3.0/gill net) were similar to the historic average (3.4/gill net) and slightly above average (2.1/gill net) compared to other similar lakes in the area with pike. The average pike sampled was 26.1 inches which is similar to the historic average length of 25.6 for pike in Birch Lake. The largest pike measured was just over 38 inches long.

Birch Lake is a 711-acre lake with a maximum depth of 34 feet located on the Canadian/U.S. border. The Canadian portion of the lake is in Quetico Provincial Park and the U.S. portion of the lake is in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). It is on one of the most heavily traveled routes in the BWCAW. The entire lake is a non-motorized area. The BWCAW is administered by the United States Forest Service (USFS). Access to Birch Lake is by canoe from Sucker Lake or by portage from Sucker and Carp Lakes. Over-night permits from the USFS are required and numbers are limited by quota. Day use permits are required year-round and numbers are not limited by quotas. The fish community of Birch Lake is dominated by walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, white sucker, and cisco. The lake has been primarily managed by MNDNR for walleye. Birch Lake, along with 40 other northeastern Minnesota lakes, is in ecological lake class 7. Typically, these lakes are large in size (average = 1807 acres), have soft water, and are irregular in shape. Walleye abundance on Birch Lake has been quite consistent over the past twenty years and is typical of lakes in the BWCAW. Based on the 2010 population assessment, anglers can expect to catch walleye from 10 to 23 inches in length with an average size of about 16 inches. Five different year classes were identified in the 2010 sample; all resulting from natural reproduction. Although Birch Lake is managed primarily for walleye, it has a variety of other species of interest to anglers. Northern pike abundance was typical of other BWCAW lakes. Lengths ranged from 17 to 42 inches with an average of 26 inches. The 2010 pike catch consisted of eight different year classes. Smallmouth bass abundance is also typical of other BWCAW lakes, and fish up 16 inches have been sampled by DNR personnel. Both white sucker and cisco are present in good numbers in Birch Lake and provide good forage for predator fish. Rusty crayfish and Clearwater crayfish are both non-native that now exist in Birch Lake. Their introduction into Birch Lake and adjoining lakes was probably accidental by anglers using them as bait. It is unlawful to harvest and transport crayfish.

Birch Lake is in Ecological Lake Class 7, which consists of 41 lakes in northeast Minnesota that are very large, have very irregular shoreline shapes, and have very soft (unmineralized) water. Birch Lake is smaller and has clearer water than most of the lakes in this lake class.Birch Lake was slightly thermally stratified on 09/06/2005 with a surface temperature of 67 F and a bottom temperature of 65 F. Adequate oxygen for fish (more than 2 ppm) was retained to within a foot of the bottom. The major inlet to Birch Lake, from Carp Lake, has a small falls. The outlet, to Sucker Lake, is a broad, deep channel that is navigable by boat. Lake bottom substrates along the Minnesota shoreline of Birch Lake are mostly rubble and ledge rock. Aquatic plants are sparse and grow to a depth of 10 ft; the most common plant is white waterlily.The 2005 fish population assessment used 9 gillnet sets and 9 trapnet sets. Seven previous fisheries investigations, dating back to 1980, used 5-9 gillnet sets. Four of these previous investigations used 6-12 trapnet sets. Trapnetting dates were moved to mid June in the 1995 and subsequent investigations in an effort to better sample panfish populations.Fish populations in 2005, as in previous investigations on this lake, were dominated by walleye, white sucker, northern pike, and smallmouth bass. Cisco are not as abundant in Birch Lake as in the other, deeper, lakes in this chain of lakes.Walleye numbers in 2005 (13.3/gillnet) were in the fourth quartile for this lake class and were higher than the median walleye catch of 8.7/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Walleye sizes in 2005 averaged 12.9" (0.9 lb), which was near the median size for this lake class, but was smaller than the average walleye size of 14.6" in all investigations on this lake. The largest walleye in 2005 was 25.4". Most of the walleye captured in 2005 (62 percent) were age one, from the 2004 year class, and all but one walleye were age five or younger. Growth of the numerous age one walleye captured in 2005 was slower than normal by area standards (at the first quartile), while growth of age two and older walleye was faster than normal (in the fourth quartile).Northern pike numbers in 2005 (3.0/gillnet) were in the third quartile for this lake class and were similar to the median pike catch of 3.7/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Pike sizes in 2005 averaged 26.2" (4.5 lb), which was in the fourth quartile for this lake class and was similar to the average pike size of 25.5" in all investigations on this lake. Growth of pike captured in 2005 was faster than normal by area standards.Smallmouth bass numbers in 2005 (1.1/gillnet, 0.7/trapnet) were in the fourth and third quartiles, respectively, for this lake class and were similar to previous smallmouth catches in this lake. Smallmouth sizes in 2005 averaged 11.6" in the gillnets and 7.9" in the trapnets; the largest (caught in a gillnet) was 16.7". Growth of smallmouth bass captured in 2005 was somewhat faster than normal by area standards (in the third quartile).Cisco numbers in 2005 (3.7/gillnet) were in the second quartile for this lake class and were lower than the median cisco catch of 6.2/gillnet in all investigations on this lake. Cisco sizes in 2005 averaged 10.4"; the largest was 15.4". Some of the game fish examined in 2005 were infected with neascus (black spot). Many of the bass had bass tapeworm, one of the walleye had lymphocistis (fish warts), and some of the yellow perch had yellow grub. All of these parasites are native to the area and are common. They cannot infect humans, are often removed by filleting fish, and are killed at temperatures used to cook fish.Rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) were introduced into Sucker Lake sometime in the 1980's, probably by anglers using them for bait. They have been captured in gillnets in Birch Lake beginning in 1989, and were found mostly on the west end of the lake. Their numbers have been fairly low, ranging from 1.7/gillnet (2005) to 18.0/gillnet (1995). Rusty crayfish, native to the Ohio River Valley, are large, aggressive crayfish. They have been associated with the loss of aquatic vegetation and the decline of bluegill sunfish populations in some lakes.Northern clearwater crayfish (Orconectes propinquus) were positively identified in the east end of nearby Basswood Lake in 1996. They were likely present in Basswood Lake and the Moose-Newfound-Sucker-Birch chain of lakes prior to 1996, but were not identified as such. The numbers of northern clearwater crayfish captured in Birch Lake were 2.7/gillnet in 2000 and 1.3/gillnet in 2005. Northern clearwater crayfish are native to the southeast region of Minnesota.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass in Birch. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Birch. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Birch has a maximum depth of 34 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Birch is from 2017. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

No invasive species are on record for Birch in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.