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

Jack's Lake Lodge

The Musky Hunter visits the Kawarthas in hopes of landing a trophy!

Rigged for Ice Fishing Success

How to start planning your next ice fishing adventure in Ontario.

Big Smallmouth Bass at Waterfalls Lodge

Waterfalls Lodge offers fishing on a chain of seven trophy lakes as well as remote lake fishing.

Rainy Lake Bass Blast

Camp Narrows Lodge

Escaping To Bass Wilderness

With Nestor Falls Fly-In Outposts

Hooked On Muskies

Ontario is blessed with the finest muskie fishing in North America.

Angling Escape to Edgewater

Just 3 hours north of Toronto, this amenity-packed resort has something for the whole family.

Expanding Your Horizons

A longtime angler shares why casting around in new waters is good practice

Mattawa River Resort

The perfect home base for not only anglers but couples and families.

Keeping You In the Fishing Game

Tips For What To Have On Your Boat

Ice Fishing in Northeastern Ontario

Year-round lodges that offer everything from DIY to fully outfitted ice fishing operations.

What to Pack for a Fly-in Adventure

These items are sometimes overlooked but come in really handy on a remote fishing trip.

Why I Use Sinking Fly Lines

What these are and how to use them for fly fishing.

Trophy Lake Trout on Lake Obabika

The pursuit of giants on a recovered fishery.

Heat Wave? Cold Front? No Problem.

Learn how weather patterns can affect fishing techniques and strategies.

Adventures on the Nipigon River

Anglers can target Chinook Salmon and Steelhead in this body of water—but most come for the trophy Brook Trout.

Tamarack Muskies

Fishing Musky on Lake of the Woods in Ontario

World Class Fishing on the Niagara River

There's always something to target in "Ontario's Grand Canyon"

How to: Target Black Crappies (Part 2)

More tricks, tips and advice to target Black Crappies in Ontario.

Twitchbait Smallies

Your guide to open water smallmouth fishing in Atikokan.