Balm Lake
Beltrami County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 04032900
DNR records show 9 stocking entries at Balm Lake since 2017, most recently walleye adults in 2025 (351 fish).
- Balm Lake has 9 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2017-2025): walleye (9).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 40,069 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 33 ft; surface area 537 acres, 282 littoral acres, 6.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Beltrami County, nearest town Solway; DNR lake number (DOW) 04032900.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | adults | 351 | 327.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye | yearlings | 139 | 32.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | yearlings | 432 | 108.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 5,704 | 343.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fingerlings | 15,040 | 632.0 |
| 2021 | Walleye | adults | 203 | 29.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 16,939 | 599.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | yearlings | 1,179 | 351.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 82 | 41.0 |
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 | NORTH SIDE OF LAKE. SECTION 23. APPROXIMATELY 10 UNIT PARKING. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
Minnesota DNR IBI staff conducted an assessment of lakeshore habitat on Balm Lake on June 3rd, 2025, following the Score the Shore survey protocols. The assessment consisted of 55 survey sites evenly spaced 200 meters around the lake. Assessments were made in three habitat zones: Shoreline Zone (the shore-water interface to the top of the natural bank), Shoreland Zone (land-ward from shoreline to development structure or 100 feet), and Aquatic Zone (lake-ward 50 feet of shoreline). The average lakewide habitat score was 87.1 (+/- 2.2) out of 100 possible. A score of 87.1 indicates the lakewide shoreline condition is High (85-91.9). Approximately 33 percent of the sites were developed with a mean score of 71.4 (+/- 4.7) indicating shoreline habitat quality of developed sites is Moderate (70-79.9), while undeveloped sites had a mean score of 94.8 (+/- 0.7) with Excellent (92+) habitat quality.
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. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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