Ball Club Lake (Itasca County)
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31081200
DNR records show 11 stocking entries at Ball Club Lake (Itasca County) since 2016, most recently walleye yearlings in 2024 (5,145 fish).
- Ball Club Lake (Itasca County) has 11 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2016-2024): walleye (10), lake whitefish (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,342,111 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 85 ft; surface area 4,335 acres, 984 littoral acres, 19.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.9 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 5 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Ball Club; DNR lake number (DOW) 31081200.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 1/1/1937 (topo map/drg); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye1 | yearlings | 5,145 | 485.0 |
| 2024 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 16,216 | 491.4 |
| 2022 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 10,096 | 454.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 10,824 | 492.0 |
| 2020 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 7,429 | 492.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye1 | fry | 1,180,000 | 8.8 |
| 2018 | Lake Whitefish1 | fingerlings | 13,778 | 183.7 |
| 2018 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 9,096 | 492.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 594 | 90.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 9,840 | 492.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye3 | fingerlings | 92,871 | 450.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking. 3 fish cooperatively purchased, raised, and/or stocked by Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Public Access at south end of lake. |
| concrete ramp | PRI | Private (pay) access at Gus' Place Resort. |
| earthen ramp | Minnesota DNR | Next public access north of Gus' Place resort on west side of lake; poor access; no turn around by lake. |
| earthen ramp | county | Second public access north of Gus' Place on west side of lake; turn around and parking for one vehicle; dredged channel out to lake. |
| concrete ramp | PRI | Private access at Ball Club Lake Lodge. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
Temperature and dissolved oxygen measurements were collected from the deepest basin in Ball Club Lake, which is located wholly within the Leech Lake Reservation, on August 5th, 2025, to evaluate the quantity and quality of cold, oxygenated water (oxythermal habitat) available to Cisco, also known as Tullibee, the most sensitive coldwater species present in this lake. Lake Whitefish hold significant cultural importance to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe (LLBO). This species held such importance that the LLBO started a Lake Whitefish stocking program in 1986. This stocking program supported the Ball Club Lake Fishery for over 30 years. This fishery continues to remain active for those that continue traditional netting. LLBO holds Clean Water Act jurisdiction over waters within the exterior boundaries of the Leech Lake Reservation, which allows LLBO to establish water quality standards to protect Reservation waters and culturally important aquatic resources. During the summer, Cisco require a layer of oxythermal habitat that contains water temperatures below 21.2 degrees C (70.2 degrees F) and dissolved oxygen concentrations above 3.0 mg/L. Based on the profile from the deepest basin (maximum sampled depth 65.6 feet), the water temperature decreased below 21.2 degrees C (70.2 degrees F) at 22.6 feet and the dissolved oxygen concentration decreased to 3.0 mg/L at 46.5 feet at the time of sampling. The thickness of this layer of water in the water column was 23.8 feet, indicating that oxythermal habitat was present for Cisco. Further, the temperature at which dissolved oxygen decreased to 3.0 mg/L (i.e., TDO3, a single variable to characterize oxythermal habitat) was 11.3 degrees C (52.3 degrees F). TDO3 values cooler than 21.2 degrees C (70.2 degrees F) indicate that oxythermal conditions were suitable for Cisco at the time of the survey. Data collected by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources during the late summer period of maximum oxythermal stress (July 26th to August 24th) in four years, between 2007-2024, also indicate suitable oxythermal habitat in all years surveyed, with the least favorable conditions recorded in 2022 when the suitable oxythermal habitat layer was 7.1 feet thick. When inadequate oxythermal habitat is available, Cisco are squeezed into unfavorable, warmer water conditions and experience higher levels of stress.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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