Big Birch Lake

How big is Big Birch Lake?

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What kind of fish can you catch in Big Birch Lake?

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What aquatic invasive species are found in Big Birch Lake?

Big Birch Lake is a 2,107-acre lake located near Grey Eagle, Minnesota. The lake consists of an upper and lower basin, has 15.25 miles of shoreline, a maximum depth of 81 feet, and a littoral area of 642 acres. Primary management species on Big Birch Lake are Northern Pike and Walleye while secondary species include Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, and Smallmouth Bass. Night electrofishing in fall has been used to evaluate the success of natural reproduction or spring Walleye fry stocking. A spring stocking of 1,900,000 Walleye fry occurred on May 5, 2023.

Fall night electrofishing has been completed on an annual or biennial basis since 1994 on Big Birch Lake to evaluate young of the year Walleye abundance. Fry stocking commenced in 1996 on a biennial basis (every other year) through 2000. Fry were stocked during odd numbered years from 2001 to 2005 and were backed up with contingency fingerling stocking if fry survival was found to be poor. Even year fry stocking took place from 2006 to 2010 and fry have been stocked on an annual basis since that time. A stocking rate of roughly 3,000 fry per littoral acre was employed until 2016, then the use of a lower rate (1,500 per littoral acre) was incorporated in alternating years to evaluate if a lower density stocking rate would meet management goals. Results suggested the higher stocking rate produced higher fall catch rates.

Prior fall young of the year Walleye assessments were conducted utilizing one hour of on-time. On-time was increased to two hours beginning in 2020 as Big Birch Lake is included in a research study to assess the impacts of zebra mussels on Walleye recruitment. In fall 2023, electrofishing efforts were performed to evaluate fry stocking success. No young of the year Walleye were captured in 1.5 hours of sampling effort. Historically, fall electrofishing catch rates have ranged from 0.0/hour (1994, 2019 and 2020) to 74.5/hour (2011) with a median of 16.1/hour. Young of the year Walleye fall electrofishing catch rates typically correlate well with future Walleye year class strength. Typically, fall catch rates above 35 YWAE per hour indicate good future year classes (greater than 2.0/gill net in standard surveys) whereas lower catch rates predict poorer year classes. A total of 8 yearling Walleye ranging from 9.25 to 12.52 inches were captured for a catch rate of 5.33/hour.

Due to low fall young of the year Walleye electrofishing catches since 2016, the stocking strategy has been changed on Big Birch Lake. Walleye fry will continue to be stocked in odd numbered years. In even years, 642 pounds of Walleye fingerlings will be stocked by DNR, and an option will be given to the lake group to purchase an additional 642 pounds from a private producer. It is hoped that this strategy will help maintain the Walleye population at a level consistent with management goals. It is important to note that a recent infestation of Zebra Mussels may impact future Walleye populations by impacting productivity in the lake. Big Birch Lake has been included in important ongoing research to determine potential impacts of Zebra Mussels on Walleye populations in lakes in Minnesota.

Other species commonly observed during sampling included Black Crappie, Bluegill, Bowfin, Brook Silverside, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass and White Sucker.

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Are there any state parks near Big Birch Lake?