Snowball Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31010800
DNR records show 4 stocking entries at Snowball Lake since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (50,000 fish).
- Snowball Lake has 4 DNR stocking records across 4 years (2016-2025): walleye (4).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 193,860 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 38 ft; surface area 145 acres, 43 littoral acres, 1.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 17.0 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and 1 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Calumet; DNR lake number (DOW) 31010800.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 50,000 | 0.5 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 43,000 | 0.4 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 100,000 | 0.8 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 860 | 43.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CA | DOT | |
| concrete ramp | TOW |
DNR fish survey, 2023
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 10.56 | 95 | 0.11 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 1.89 | 17 | 0.12 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 1.33 | 12 | 0.24 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.78 | 7 | 0.87 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 0.08 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.44 | 4 | 0.84 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.31 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 1.19 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 7.17 | 43 | 1.78 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 5.33 | 32 | 0.37 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 3.33 | 20 | 0.26 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 1.00 | 6 | 3.45 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 4 | 1.36 |
| Rock bass | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 3 | 0.58 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.33 | 2 | 0.74 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 0.17 | 1 | 1.92 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Snowball Lake is a 146-acre lake located one mile east of Calumet, MN in the Mississippi River watershed. Approximately 30% of the lake is littoral ( The fisheries lake management plan (LMP) was last amended in 2017. Black Crappie and Northern Pike were the primary management species and Largemouth Bass and Walleye were considered secondary species. A standard lake survey was conducted in late August 2023 to collect updated information on the fishery. The gill-net catch for Northern Pike was typical for the lake and the lakes with similar habitat. Size structure was relatively poor and similar to previous surveys. Sampled pike ranged from 14 to 34 inches with an average length of 20 inches. Growth was similar to the statewide average and past surveys, with pike exceeding 21 inches after four years of growth. Anglers are encouraged to release larger Northern Pike to improve size structure. Net catches for Black Crappie tend to be variable because of their habit of suspending in the water column in off-shore areas. The trap-net catch for Black Crappie was average for the lake and lakes with similar habitat. The gill nets provided a larger sample. The catch rate (5.3/net) was above the expected range for this lake class. Size structure was modest for both gears. Fish from trap nets averaged 7.6 inches and those from gill nets averaged 8.5 inches. Four year-classes were identified from scales with ages 2 through 5 represented. Age 5 was the most frequently sampled. Growth was slow but similar to the statewide average with crappie approaching 9 inches after five years of growth. Angling opportunities for crappie should improve in the next couple of years as these fish grow to a more preferred size. The Walleye gill-net catch was low compared to similar lakes, but typical for Snowball Lake. Walleye catches have only met or exceeded 2/net twice in eight surveys. The six Walleye captured were keeper-sized fish ranging from 18 to 24 inches. Meaningful evaluations of age structure and growth cannot be drawn from such a small sample size. Of the four Walleye examined, two were attributed to stocked year-classes. Past fingerling stocking did not appear to contribute much to the population and was discontinued. Lakes like Snowball rarely produce quality Walleye fisheries due to habitat, fish community and prey base limitations. The Bluegill population has typically had low to moderate numbers and poor size structure. The 2023 trap-net catch was low compared to similar lakes but typical for Snowball. Size structure remained poor; sampled Bluegill ranged from 3 to…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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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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