Cast Away Your Worries: Birchland Cottages, An Ontario Family Fishing Destination

Amazing fishing and non-stop family fun meet classic Northern Ontario cottage comfort, just west of Iron Bridge.
Birchland-Sunset

What a little gem this place is! Birchland Cottages is located just west of the town of Iron Bridge, located on Clear Lake, right off the Trans-Canada Highway. This place truly has it all for a young family to enjoy their stay. There is a beach for swimming where the kids can walk in to swim and have fun with inflatable water toys, including a water trampoline and launch pad! There is a great playground with a climbing wall to get to the fort, swings, slides, sandbox, etc., and if your family wants more, they have complimentary paddle boards, kayaks and a paddle boat. 

Cottage-Sign
Photo credit: Fish TV

Welcome to Birchland Cottages: A Hidden Fishing Gem on Clear Lake, Ontario

We can’t boast about the cottages enough to do them justice. All of the cottages are absolutely stunning with all the comforts of home, including WiFi, giving you everything you’d need for a fantastic stay. Furnished and finished in a 5-star manner, in my opinion. Lakefront views with your own dock to tie up your boat, or get one of the rentals they offer, and you’ll feel like you have your own piece of heaven.

Birchland-Dock Birchland
Photo credits: Fish TV

Fishing Clear Lake: Tips for Great Pike and Bass Action 

Don’t let the size of Clear Lake fool you into thinking the fishing is subpar, because it is absolutely the opposite. The deepest part of Clear Lake is 30 feet, and there are no dead-heads or reefs in the lake, so it is safe for all boaters. Pike and bass are what you’ll be targeting here. Due to the lake being on the smaller size, we decided to use our big motor and idle around the whole lake, just to see what we were dealing with. We found most of the vegetation was in the eastern half of the lake, and where you found weeds, you found pike, and lots of them. We didn’t catch any giants but did catch dozens of nice-sized ones. Spinnerbaits and bladed jigs caught almost all of them.

Jason-at-Birchland
Photo credit: Fish TV

On the western half of the lake, we relied on our electronics to find what depth the baitfish were at and where. Once we figured that out, we had some great smallmouth bass action, with the average being over 3 pounds. We caught most of them using a Crush City Freeloader or Mayor on a VMC Jig head…but don’t forget your favourite topwater!

Leo-and-Jason-at-Birchland Leo-at-Birchland
Photo credits: Fish TV

The beautiful thing about being a fisherman staying at Birchland Cottages is that they have their own boat launch, so if you want to spend a day exploring one of the other lakes nearby, as we did (that’s a story for another day), it’s easily done. If you’re in the area, or looking for a great Ontario cottage resort, you definitely owe it to yourself to check out what Birchland Cottages has to offer. 

You will not be disappointed!

About Jason Greentree

Jason is a multi-species angler with quite a vast resume of accomplishments in the fishing world. He is a multiple bass tournament winner, participated in many television and radio guest spots and a been on the cover of Outdoor Canada magazine. Currently, Jason continues to enjoy the outdoors and shares his fishing tips and tricks with viewers as a host of Fish TV.

Recommended Articles

Top 5 Baits for Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass

What baits do you use to target bass? Find out why these 5 are the best!

Salmon Fishing

The Michipicoten River is a Sleeper for Chinook

Lake Nipigon Adventure

Fishing for Lake Trout, Walleye & Pike

Swim Shiner Swim

What Bait to Use in Cold Water Fishing Conditions

Catching Ontario Walleye

Pro Tips for Bait and Walley Presentations

World Class Muskie at Young's Wilderness Camp

Lake of The Woods for Muskie and Walleye

Bob Izumi searches for bass and pike

Fishing unfamiliar territory, Bob Izumi lands monster smallies and Northern pike

Wind, Cloud & Walleye

How Weather is Important to Walleye Anglers

Topwater Bass

Targeting Spring Bass at Dog Lake Resort

Wild Brook Trout

Remote Outpost Fishing on Pinei Lake

Catch, photo, release

Save Your Fishing Memories With These Photo Tips

Pine Sunset Lodge

Walleyes and slabs of Dinorwic Lake

Ontario Carp Championship

Is Ontario the Carp fishing capital of the world?

Best WhiteFish Tactics

In Part Two, Learn Best Rods, Reels and Lure Presentations for Whitefish

World Class Walleye Fishing at Vermilion Bay Lodge

Eagle Lake has over 68,000 acres of clear Canadian Shield waters with world-class walleye and muskie.

Birch Bark Lodge

A Slice of Heaven on Wigwascence Lake

Making Mistakes with Muskie on the Fly

What I learnt the hard way chasing muskie on the fly.

Basin-Shape Walleye

Learn this proven technique to catch more walleye when ice fishing in Northern Ontario.

Bear Creek Bruisers

Fishing Musky on Lake Nipissing

Striker's Point Lodge

Hungry Walleyes and Big Pike on Whitewater Lake