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

Adventure Walleye Fishing Lake Nipigon Style

Fishing 411 Television visits Pasha Lake Cabins

Topwater Bass Frenzy

Colin visits the Century Lodge to topwater fish for Smallmouth Bass.

Trophy Lake Trout and Smallmouth Under the Northern Lights

The Ontario Experience visits Clarks Resort in Ontario's Sunset Country

Manitoulin Island Fishing

Lake Huron offers a wide variety of freshwater species

Top Ranked Flies For Catching Brown Trout

How to set up a fly rod, pick streamers, and catch some trout.

Tomiko Lake Lodge

An Outstanding Resort for Fishing and Families

Fishing Dreams Come True

Five Ontario Fisheries Everyone Should Visit

Get Hooked on Ice Fishing

Ice Fishing is very enjoyable and one of the fastest growing sports.

Fish TV's Five 5 Places to Fish in Ontario

The amount of different species that Ontario has to offer is like no other place.

Take Your Tackle Box to the Next Level

Freshen up your lines and strategically re-stock your tackle box with these tips.

Find The Food, Find The Fish!

The fall feeding frenzy is getting under way across Northern Ontario.

Wasi Lake Fishing

Fishing at Booth Landing Camping & Cottages

Taming Trout

A new year brings a new lake trout ice fishing season

Bass Fishing at Lost Lake Wilderness Lodge

This drive to lodge offers some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in Northeastern Ontario.

River Bass Bonanza

Fishing Mistinikon for Smallmouth Bass

Fishing the Regions of Northern Ontario

There is more than meets the eye

Birch Dale Lodge

Discover why muskie fishing in Ontario's Sunset Country is world-class!

5 Things to Consider When Buying a New Boat!

Great tips and things to keep in mind when you are looking to purchase a new boat.

Fly Fishing at Anderson's Lodge

A smallmouth bass fly fishing adventure to this famous lodge on Lac Seul.

Lac Seul

One of the Most Productive Walleye Fisheries on Earth