Little Birch

Little Birch Lake (DOW# 77-0089; Lake Class 22) is an 839-acre lake located near Grey Eagle, Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) owned concrete boat ramp is located on the northwest shore. Little Birch Lake has 8.61 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 89 feet. The lake is primarily managed for Walleye and secondarily for Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass. The Lake was initially surveyed in 1981, and 39 fish sampling surveys or investigations have occurred since then with the most recent prior sampling in 2023 (Fall Young of Year Walleye Assessment). Fall night electrofishing has been completed on an annual or biennial basis since 1995 on Little Birch Lake. Fall night electrofishing totaling 1 hour of on time was conducted on Little Birch Lake to evaluate young of the year Walleye abundance from fry stocking. Walleye fry (800,00 fry, 3,000/littoral acre) were stocked in spring 2025. The sampling crew noted high amounts of submerged vegetation in normally barren shallow sampling stations, which may have impacted young of the year Walleye catches. No young of the year Walleye were captured during this survey. In past surveys the typical catch is 10 YWAE but as many as 76 have been captured. Walleye averaging 6.0-7.0 inches in length are captured during in an hour of fall electrofishing on Little Birch Lake. One yearling or older Walleye was captured during sampling with a length of 11.50 inches. Fall fingerling stockings have contributed significantly to the fishery in the past, although current high Northern Pike populations may limit survival of these fish. Anglers are encouraged to harvest pike on Little Birch Lake according to statewide regulations, especially those under 22 inches. Doing so may help with future Walleye management. Historically, fall young of the year Walleye electrofishing catch rates have not corresponded well with future gill net catches, suggesting they may be imprecise indicator of recruitment to the fishery. In other words, if fall electrofishing survey documents the presence of young of the year Walleye, a year class of unknown strength has been produced. However, if fall electrofishing fails to capture young Walleye, it does not necessarily indicate that no year class was produced. In the past, gill net surveys have identified good year classes from years when no young Walleyes were caught in fall electrofishing surveys. It is also important to note that summer catches have regularly documented year classes from non-stocked years indicating that significant natural reproduction or immigration from other lakes occurs.

This standard survey is part of the regular survey schedule for Little Birch Lake which is every four years. Twelve gill nets, eight spring trap nets (fished two nights) and one hour of electrofishing was used to assess the relative abundance of targeted species including Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Bluegill, Black Crappie and Black Bass from May through early August 2023. Little Birch is primarily managed for Walleye through artificial stocking however it has a very good Smallmouth Bass fishery. The 2023 Walleye catch rate has improved since 2017 but is still not satisfactory from a management or angling perspective. Since 1999, catch rates suggest a declining trend in abundance despite a modest improvement from 2019 to 2023. Data summaries from all surveys indicate an increasing trend in the proportion of larger fish while smaller Walleyes are comprising less of the sample. On a positive note, it appears that the 2021 year class survived well and comprised the majority of the 2023 sample (14-16 inches). Also noted from aged fish was that growth rates are fast, suggesting Walleyes are finding adequate prey, possibly small perch (2-3 inch fish). Yellow Perch have been all but absent in our standard gill nets for years on Little Birch Lake which has led us to believe their status as essentially eliminated from the fish community. However, special small-mesh gill nets were employed in 2022 which found high numbers of small perch. All of this suggests these small perch are being utilized by larger predator fish. Historical stocking analysis indicates fingerling stockings prior to 2012 succeeded in producing decent Walleye fisheries however, fingerling production efficiencies have plummeted and become much more expensive than they used to be. A switch to fry stocking after 2012 showed early promise but has since proven ineffective at achieving Walleye management goals. Fingerling stockings have therefore been restarted (2019, 2022) and are planned to continue as a priority during even numbered years. Walleye fry will be stocked during odd numbered years. Northern Pike abundance has been trending upward since 2000. Population size structure has remained similar but may be improving in recent years. Number of pike exceeding 28 inches in gill nets is the highest it's been since 1999. At this time however, there are too many small pike in the fish community, and it is hoped that anglers will continue to harvest up to 10 fish less than 22 inches as much as legally possible. Lower Walleye gill catches have coincided with higher pike numbers. The Smallmouth Bass fishery in Little Birch Lake is considered high-quality and draws considerable interest from anglers, perhaps more so than Largemouth Bass. Smallmouth bass sampled are usually large, averaging about 17 inches. A small, aged sample found that mean length at time of capture for age 5 fish was 15.7 inches. Two, 18 inch fish were aged to be 13 and 20 years old. Largemouth Bass captured ranged from 3.4 to 17.8 inches and averaged 12.4 inches. Data from 2019 and 2023 suggest that between Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass offer the higher quality fishery. Panfish populations were mainly assessed using spring trap nets, but data from gill nets and electrofishing were also examined. Bluegill were much more abundant in samples than were Black Crappie. The 2019 year class of crappies was most common in our sampling. These fish averaged 10.1 inches in length. Our largest crappie was 12.1 inches. Trap net catch rates for Bluegill 8 inches and larger were less in 2023 than they were in 2017, however this may be due to sampling variability. At the time of this survey, water clarity was measured down to 19.0 feet. Habitat for Cisco was determined to be marginal, and this species has not been seen in summer gill nets since 2011. Special sampling with vertical gill nets in 2017 captured 2 adult Cisco.

Little Birch Lake (DOW# 77-0089; Lake Class 22) is an 839 acre lake located near Grey Eagle, Minnesota. A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) owned concrete boat ramp is located on the northwest shore. Little Birch Lake has 8.61 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 89 feet. The lake is primarily managed for Walleye and secondarily for Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass. The lake was initially surveyed in 1981 and 36 fish sampling surveys or investigations have occurred since then with the most recent prior sampling in 2020 (Fall Young of Year Walleye Assessment). Fall night electrofishing has been completed on an annual or biennial basis since 1995 on Little Birch Lake. Fall night electrofishing totaling 45 minutes of on time was conducted on Little Birch Lake to evaluate young of year Walleye abundance from fry stocking. Walleye fry (800,000 fry, 3,000/littoral acre) were stocked in spring 2022. The sampling crew noted high amounts of submerged vegetation in normally barren shallow sampling stations, which may have impacted young of the year Walleye catches. No young of the year Walleye were captured during the survey. Typically, around 10, but as many as 76, Walleye averaging 6.0-7.0 inches in length are captured in an hour of fall electrofishing on Little Birch Lake. In addition, no yearling or older Walleye were encountered during sampling. While Walleye natural reproduction occurs with some regularity on Little Birch Lake, none was observed in 2020 when no stocking occurred on the lake. In response to the lack of Walleye captured during this fall assessment and continued declines in summer gillnet surveys, a total of 5,540 Walleye fingerlings were stocked in October 2022. A similar stocking occurred in 2019 (9,505 fingerlings) following poor fall juvenile Walleye catch rates and low summer gillnet catch rates. Fall fingerling stockings have contributed significantly to the fishery in the past, although current high Northern Pike populations may limit survival of these fish. Anglers are encouraged to harvest pike on Little Birch Lake according to statewide regulations, especially those under 22 inches. Doing so may help with future Walleye management. Historically, fall young of the year Walleye electrofishing catch rates have not corresponded well with future gill net catches, suggesting they may be an imprecise indicator of recruitment to the fishery. In other words, if a fall electrofishing survey documents the presence of young of the year Walleye, a year class of unknown strength has been produced. However, if fall electrofishing fails to capture young Walleye, it does not necessarily indicate that no year class was produced. In the past, gill net surveys have identified good year classes from years when no young Walleyes were caught in fall electrofishing surveys. It is also important to note that summer gillnet catches have regularly documented year classes from non-stocked years indicating that significant natural reproduction or immigration from other lakes occurs.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Hybrid Sunfish, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Black Crappie in Little Birch. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Little Birch. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Little Birch has a maximum depth of 89 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Little Birch is from 2023.

Yes — Little Birch has confirmed Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.