Birch Lake ice fishing?
 

Anyone ever ice fish on birch(south of Caroline). I thought it was aerated but am unsure. Any leads on how the ice holds up in the cold season would be tops!

Don't go to the end of the lake with the aerator, and you'll be fine. Lakes been hit hard the past couple years, so don't expect to much...

Fishless
 

This lake has been poached to a fish less state. I assume by locals as guys are in with only quads fishing multiple holes at once. And they always seem to become scarce when you approach. It's a shame. This lake used to be awesome.

:sHa_sarcasticlol: Yeah right, locals......give me a break.Thank the internet and people travelling from far and wide for that place getting fished out

What you said here doesn't even make sense. The locals didn't fish it out, they were keeping it a secret so they could have it for themselves. MountainTi has it right, the internet IS to blame for that one...

my parents used to live in that area, and it is the locals that are some of the worst poachers in the area.

I drove out on the lake last year with no problems as with any lake or pond that is its aerated stay away from em.

as for people poaching, people should stop making unsupported claims. :argue2:

why would locals destroy there own resource. Not saying its impossible, just unlikely.

Sorry but you're wrong too. The people to blame are SRD; allowing a 5 fish limit of any size meanwhile aerating it to grow larger fish. Can't have it both ways I'm afraid. Put better limits on (like one under 18"), add more quality lakes to Alberta that allow ice fishing so that good lakes don't get fished out, and perhaps you'd see places like Birch actually do well even when under pressure.

So let's not blame the internet or the people on it that like to blab. For the love of god, who in their right mind would expect a fishermen to keep their mouth shut? Impossible. Now ask that fishermen to stop keeping 5 fish every time they go fishing (that taste like mud in the first place) might just be possible.

Cheers.

thank this site

i am thankful to, helped me with tons of info, on fly fishing, ice fishing. Also met a few nice people.

This site doesn't over fish a lake or poach... people do!

Fished out.....
 

Don't waste your time, I fished the crap out of this place all summer determinded not to be skunked. Used every fly and tactic I know and nothing, not even a bite. Just three years ago I could catch four or five in a long day out there. I think they should close it to ice fishing thats when i see the most people out there. Same old problem too many fisherman for the limited number of lakes in Alberta.

i was there once this summer for only an hour and got two hammer handles off the dock. So your doin it wrong. Or I've got a horse shoe up my ***

Allow me to fix the above statement:

Same old problem; too few limited/no harvest regulations for the many fishermen and the limited number of lakes in Alberta.

You're welcome.

Sorry it was my assumption that they were local. I guess they just commuted on their quads ;)

Ksmitty,

Maybe they were both. The summer vilage of Burnstick Lake is just a short distance away. Lots of quads there all owned by city folks.

Or they could have arrived from the infestation of trailers 1/2 mile west.

Slo...

It doesnt matter who is doing all the damage the most important thing is admit there is a problem and to address it proberly ....first of all rocky mountain house fish and wildlife need to be told the way they think is wrong.......this is what they told me is it doesnt matter summer or winter as long as the hours of man fishing is ok in there mind.....they r missing the point where do u go brookie fishing in the summer after the ice fisherman clean the lake out............lets make it work for both summer and winter fishing.................let the fish and wildlife know how u fell.......only way it is going to change

No pike in Birch, or a dock for that matter, so where were you fishing???:confused:

I had a look at the lake yesterday late in the day. Was going to put the camera down and see what was there but the battery conked out and was unable to do no more than look in some of the holes already there.
About 3" ice. Several holes very close to shore. No one there fishing at all.

dont waste your gas
 

yep, no fish left there guys dont waste your gas

Ok a few points, first,lots of fish in birch. Yes they take a beating. Second,Yes poaching is an issue. Hope to make a difference this year by calling in a certain party if we witness a repeat of last yrs fowl play. Third it is a very hard lake to fish after early ice the brookies go deep and are no longer post spawn hungry. Ime the fish are very localised and if your not in the key spots or depth it's will drive you nuts. Last year I tried ot get an AO outing but no one showed. Its not empty it is just populated with wary clever fish. Try down sizing gear and use the charts to find structure that holds fish or food . Hope that helps any who wish can shoot me a pm for an outing on birch. I would gladly join and share what I know.

buddy was out there hunting last week stopped at the lake said he saw lots of nice 2 to 3 lb brookies being caught said didnt look very hard to gitter dun. The lake like most must have good days and bad.

What end has the aerator?
Going to spend sunday afternoon there, Have never fished there before.
Thanks

The south end has the aerator.

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It's the alberta way. Hit em hard when they are there and ten years later do it again. We don't make the rules. If you work your bag off like a born and bred albertan and got 5 days a year to fish and pay 35000 a year tax and the liMIT is five trout or 3 big pike or fifteen perch and you like to eat fish then who is anyone to accuse anybody of ruining a lake. You guys that fish everyday obviously don't work everyday so who is more entitled the guy that gets taxed to death and supports the whole system and half the province and sacrifices everything. Or you guys that figure it's your lake and anyone who keeps a legal fish in this absurdly managed fishery is a poacher and unethical. Better step back. This country Is becoming divided more and more every day.

Pike Man;;But then there's us guys & gals that practice C&R .Probably pay just as much taxes etc. as you....

I know that is the problem. We all have a choice. Maybe some lakes should be protected from day one and designated catch and release from day one. They just blanket too many waters with the same regs and it should be specific. Tough to enforce with no officers out there. But if the law says I can keep a fish to eat cuz I like to eat fish then I am entitled. It's the guys that go day after day and hammer the lakes that clean them out. You've all seen them. Anyone ever had their freezer checked for a possession limit? I bet very few and that's where your trout went.

Fished it a few weeks ago for 2 hours didn't see any or have any hits could just be a slow day though. It does get hit hard during the winter but they stock lots of fish in there so I'm sure they are around and probably hook smart so be creative. I to struggle with a 5 fish a day limit but then again it's a stocked lake that never held trout till SRD put them in and I would rather see guys fill there freezers from heavily stocked lakes then from systems that depend on mother nature stocking them.

Very true. That's exactly what those stocked lakes are for. Tuff pill to swallow I know. Look what happened to swan. Super fertile trophy producing lake for 5 or more years but every year on the regs it's limit of five open year round. Can't say limit of two under 40 cm? I just did, so it's not that hard. Some of the winter kill lakes are different go ahead and take your five but if it holds over a few, all the better, but it doesn't happen every year so better to let the guys paying for the stocking eat them then the flies when they are all belly up in the spring.

Wow, talk about digging up some old threads...lol :lol:

Been a long time since the glory days on that lake, my best brookie is still from there and weighed just over 4lbs. It was a great little hidden gem whose secret was leaked out online and was never the same since. But it forced us to move onward and search out new secret honey holes and this time we've kept our mouths shut...:sign0161:

Lol, same thought occurred to me.