Fishing Birch Tree Lake in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska

• Overview

  Birch Tree Lake is listed under Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska. The country here is mixed forest. Roughly 108 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. There is roughly 2.6 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. The nearest town is Sterling, 25 miles away. The big place round here is Anchorage, 30 miles distant. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Birch Tree Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Kenai Peninsula Borough include northern pike, sockeye salmon, rainbow trout and Coho salmon. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Birch Tree Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 57°F, the coldest about 17°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly early November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. At Birch Tree Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Lynx Lake is 0.5 miles off. Check the position at Birch Tree Lake before loading the car.