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

Girls Gone Ice Fishing

Great company, stunning fish, unspoiled wilderness: a winter ice fishing adventure!

The Perfect Shore Lunch

Try this award-winning recipe on your next Ontario fishing trip.

Bronze Bass Blast

Outstanding Smallmouth Bass Fishing at Island Lake Lodge.

Lac Seul Outpost Adventure

Lac Seul is known for big fish of all species.

Tournament Tips

5 Pro Tips to Use This Upcoming Season

Hello Summertime Crappies

Crappies have a reputation for being much harder to find and catch in the lazy hazy crazy days of summer

Lake of Bays fishing

Smallmouth Bass Fishing in Muskoka

Fly Fishing Basics

Learn Tips From An Avid Angler Towards Initial Fly FIshing Success

Leuenberger Air Service Is Your Ticket to Ontario's Best Fishing

Discover remote outpost fishing for northern pike, walleye, and whitefish

Cat Island Lodge

Fly-in fishing for walleye and lake trout

First Class Fishing Vacations

Northern Ontario boasts hundreds of lakes, rivers and streams.

Steelhead and Salmon of Northern Ontario

Ontario's north is home to tributaries of Lake Superior and Lake Huron—and many species of salmon and steelhead

The Best of Both Worlds

From spring right through to late fall there are species that you can target close to the home base in the Spanish River

Pot of Golden Walleye

Fishing at Whitefish Lodge in Ontario's Algoma Country

Walleye Sunsets

Walleye Fishing on Lake Nipissing.

Spanish River Resort & Campground

This phenomenal smallmouth bass fishery lies in the North Channel of Lake Huron.

Choose your Fishing Adventure: 39 Lodges Accessible by Train, Plane, Boat, and Automobile in Ontario

How will you explore the province's waterways this upcoming season?

Early Summer Muskies

Ontario’s Sunset Country is muskie heaven. Here’s how to find and catch these early-summer giants.

Bob Izumi searches for bass and pike

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

Striker's Point Lodge

Hungry Walleyes and Big Pike on Whitewater Lake