Size
365ac
Boat Launch
Carry-in Launch
Toilet
No
Boat Dock
Species in Birch Lake
Walleye
Largemouth bass
Perch
Crappie
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Bluegill
Pumpkinseed
Rock bass
Overview
Perch fishing is good all year. Decent populations of walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, crappie and bluegill.
Birch Lake Map
Fishing Regulations
Special Fishing Regulations: This lake has special fishing regulations that differ from statewide or border water regulations for those species identified below and take precedence. Regulations listed below are currently in place. Visit the fishing regulations page for links to upcoming regulations for specific lakes.
Special Species Regulations
- Bluegill: Open All Year: The daily bag limit is 10.
- Bullheads: Open All Year: No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is unlimited.
- Catfish: Open All Year: No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is 10.
- Cisco And Whitefish: Open All Year: No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is 10.
- Lake Sturgeon: Closed: No fishing allowed.
- Largemouth Bass And Smallmouth Bass: May 2, 2026 to March 7, 2027: No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is 5.
- Muskellunge And Hybrids: May 2, 2026 to December 31, 2026 on open water: The minimum length limit is 40” and the daily bag limit is 1.
- Northern Pike: May 2, 2026 to March 7, 2027: No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is 5.
- Paddlefish: Closed: No fishing allowed.
- Panfish: Open All Year: No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is 25, but only 10 can be bluegill.
- Rock, Yellow, And White Bass: Open All Year: No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is unlimited.
- Rough Fish: Open All Year: No minimum length limit and the daily bag limit is unlimited.
- Round Goby: Open All Year: The daily bag limit is 0, one may be killed and possessed for transport to a WDNR Office.
- Ruffe: Open All Year: The daily bag limit is 0, one may be killed and possessed for transport to a WDNR Office.
- Shovelnose Sturgeon: Closed: No fishing allowed.
- Trout: See specific regulations: See Trout Regulations
- Walleye, Sauger, And Hybrids: May 2, 2026 to March 7, 2027: The minimum length limit is 18” and the daily bag limit is 3.
- White Perch: Open All Year: The daily bag limit is 0, one may be killed and possessed for transport to a WDNR Office.
Features
Sawyer County’s Chetac and Birch Lakes offer anglers a wide variety of fishing opportunities. With numerous lodges along the shoreline of Chetac, this lake is a great destination for people seeking a fishing retreat. Anglers looking for a nice, quiet lake to fish should be aware of the heavy fishing pressure that this lake receives. Motor trolling on Chetac Lake is both legal and popular for walleye and northern pike. A number of bass tournaments are held on the lake during summer. Fishing pressure aside, anglers looking for a trophy sized northern or stringer of large bluegill should give this lake a try.
Forage
In Chetac Lake there is a huge juvenile yellow perch population that provides a large forage base for a wide variety of fish. Golden Shiners, White Sucker and Brook Silversides (a rarity in Wisconsin waters) make up much of the forage base. Crayfish, mayflies and midges also provide supplemental forage.
Seasonal Movements
Walleye will make spawning runs into the spring tributary creeks each year. During the middle of summer northern pike will move around the lake to find colder water.
Weather
74°Feels like 74°
78°
57°
78°57°6:17 AM
7:59 PM
2 mph
Southwest
0 in
Rain
30.03 inHg
Falling
MondayMo
78° / 57°
TuesdayTu
81° / 59°
WednesdayWe
78° / 53°
ThursdayTh
80° / 48°
FridayFr
81° / 57°
SaturdaySa
81° / 61°
Moon Phase
August 24, 2026
87% Illumination
waxing gibbous, getting brighter
MondayMo08/24
TuesdayTu08/25
WednesdayWe08/26
ThursdayTh08/27
FridayFr08/28
SaturdaySa08/29
SundaySu08/30
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Top Fish Species
Walleye
11-25 in
Length Range
17 in
Length Range
2018
Surveyed
Abundance (CPUE)
Understanding Abundance
Abundance ratings are based on Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) measurements conducted by the MN DNR, and represent a snapshot of a species population at a given point in time
Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Survey cadence may vary by state and water body.Species Lengths
