Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest August 21, 2023
Species recorded at Birch Lake
3 species on the Minnesota DNR list for this lake. A species on the list has been recorded here; it does not mean it is catchable today or in every part of the lake.
Stocking at Birch Lake
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for this lake — which species went in, how many, and in which years. Read the years: a lake stocked in one year is not necessarily stocked in the next.
Getting on the water
Minnesota DNR lists the public access sites, including ramp type and parking, in the documents below.
Survey results in full
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 21, 2023 caught 0.33 smallmouth bass per gill net at Birch Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Birch Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
8 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2023-08-21 (Standard Survey).
8 surveys on file · most recent 2023-08-21 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fathead Minnow | 335.62 | ||
| White Sucker | 3.00 | 12–24 in 2015-09-08 | 1.89 lb |
| Rainbow Trout | 2.32 | 10–18 in 2023-08-21 | 1.47 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
White Sucker
Rainbow Trout
From the 2023-08-21 survey
Birch Lake is a 236-acre lake located 34 miles north of Grand Marais and public access is through a carry-in access along the south shore. Rainbow trout are the primary management species with yearlings stocked every year since 2016. Brook trout were last stocked in 2015 and were not captured in the 2023 survey. In…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Birch Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BirchFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — BirchFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BirchPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Common questions
What fish are in Birch Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 21, 2023 caught 0.33 smallmouth bass per gill net at Birch Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 3 species for the lake in total. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Birch Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Birch Lake is dated August 21, 2023. Survey intervals vary by lake and by species; a gap of several years between surveys is normal and does not mean the record is missing.
Is Birch Lake stocked?
Minnesota DNR publishes a stocking history for Birch Lake. It records which species were released, in what numbers and in which years — the source documents are linked further down this page. A lake can be stocked in some years and not others, so read the years rather than assuming an annual release.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Birch Lake fishes?
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Birch Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Before you eat what you catch
Water-quality readings are not a consumption advisory. Mercury and PCB advice for Minnesota waters comes from MDH, and it is issued per species and per size class: a lake with clear, low-nutrient water can still carry a meal limit on larger predator fish.
Where to stay near Birch Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Birch Lake
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