Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest June 10, 2019
Species recorded at Birch Lake
13 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
No stocking record for Birch Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is an absence in the published record, not a confirmation that the lake is unstocked — some waters are managed as naturally reproducing and never appear in a stocking list at all.
Getting on the water
1 public boat landing is recorded on Birch Lake. 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 June 10, 2019 caught 0.17 walleye 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. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
6 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2019-06-10 (Standard Survey).
6 surveys on file · most recent 2019-06-10 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 43.47 | 2–7 in 2019-06-10 | 0.07 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 19.73 | 5–21 in 2019-06-10 | 0.62 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 19.01 | 4–9 in 2004-06-14 | 0.24 lb |
| Black Crappie | 18.90 | 4–10 in 2019-06-10 | 0.19 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 10.42 | 3–6 in 2019-06-10 | 0.06 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 6.14 | 7–13 in 2019-06-10 | 0.4 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.
Bluegill
Largemouth Bass
Black Bullhead
Black Crappie
From the 2019-06-10 survey
Birch Lake is a 151 acre lake located four miles northeast of the City of Big Lake in Sherburne County. It has a maximum depth of 18 feet and a small watershed. Land use in the watershed is primarily forest and wetlands. Birch has a history of winterkills, but winter aeration has been used in recent years to prevent…
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
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Birch (1977)Aquatic Plant Report · 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 June 10, 2019 caught 0.17 walleye per gill net at Birch Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 13 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 June 10, 2019. 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?
No stocking record for Birch Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is not the same as a confirmed unstocked lake: it means no stocking document was published for it in the records this page draws on.
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. 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
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