Birch Creek Report?

[bigbucksmj]

I'm looking to for any recent report on Birch Creek? any help or report would be awesome!

-Size of Fish
-Colors/Bait used

Thank you all in advance!

BigBucks!
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[Delement87]

caught tons of small rainbows 10"-12", out two trips only caught 2 tigers that were 17". ice was 10"+.
gonna be alot of snow up there now.
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[bigbucksmj]

Which lake did you fish? Bigger one or smaller one? Is it difficult to get to the lake?
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[Delement87]

there isnt much water in the bottom lake if any. we walked up the dam, it was hell in the snow getting up and over. the road was ok when i went, but that was before the last bigger storm. definitely will need a 4wd, i took chains just to be safe.
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[Moosedog]

I fished it once this year. I marked lots of fish and caught one nice rainbowish he was nice about 20 inches. I was a neat looking fish. Caught him on a green curly tail with a maggot. I pulled my sled up the dam face!!! what a killer that was.

I have a question, is that the only access in the winter, to go up the dam?
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[bigbucksmj]

I've personally never been there! Just heard good things about it.

Thanks for the info on jigs and bait.
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[Delement87]

you could drive around. there is a dirt road that goes to the other end of the lake... i wouldnt recommend taking it thou. you're better off just climbing the the hill.
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[remo_5_0]

Only way over in winter is up the dam, in summer there is a little road you can take but it is hairy and need a good 4x4 and balls!!! You can drive around the backside but I think it's all private so at your own risk.
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[brookieguy1]

That's a cutt.
The only way after it snows in the winter is up the dam face or around to the north on a snowmachine. I've hiked that dam face many a time back when the fishing was worth the trek.
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[bigbucksmj]

So how bad is this 'trek'? Is it worth going to or are we better off going somewhere else?
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[Delement87]

its an ass kicker. its about 100 yards at most up hill then back down the other side, and youre walking up a dam. like brookie guy said it use to be more worth the "trek" i went two full days. before sun up to after sundown and caught nothing to make me wanna go back, and i still went back one more time. there was about a foot of snow on the ice when i was last there. there has been a couple more big storms since then.
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[brookieguy1]

It was worth the lung-blowing scramble up the slick dam face when you could catch a good number of 22"+ tigers in a day and keep a couple 18"ers for eating. I've just lost interest in tiger trout and Birch Creek has lost it's appeal to me once it was "outed". I haven't been there in a few years, but I know people that go and it's a far cry from it's past glory. I'm greatful I did get in there when I did though.
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[brookieguy1]

I don't want to dampen anyone's interest in Birch Creek, it may be a great trip for someone. If you want a bigger tiger trout, and now even rainbows, it might be well worth your efforts. There are still big fish in there.
When I fished it my go- to setup was a 1/32 oz. green paddlebug with a half crawler hooked to immitate a leech. I started doing this after a large tiger I caught on a meal worm burbed up a dozen or more large leeches on the ice. Fish water 8-12 feet deep and "scratch" the bottom in weedy areas with your jig and crawler.
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