Balm

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.

Balm Lake is a 537-acre lake with a maximum depth of 33 feet located 25 miles northwest of the city of Bemidji. A public water access with concrete ramp and parking for 10 trucks with trailers is located on the northeast corner of the lake off County Highway 32. Currently there is a special regulation for Largemouth Bass consisting of a protected slot limit from 14 to 20 inches with 1 fish allowed over 20 inches. Statewide regulations apply to all other species. Balm Lake is managed primarily for Bluegill, Walleye, Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike. This report outlines findings in the most recent standard survey in the summer of 2023. Overall lengths of Largemouth Bass ranged from over 5 to just short of 18 inches. The gill-net catch in particular had a rate of 8 bass/net which is substantially higher than most lakes in the area. Reproduction appears to be consistently successful due to the number of year classes represented in the survey. Exceptionally high bass abundance has been cause for concern and was possibly impacting growth rates so the protected slot was relaxed from 12-20 to 14-20 inches in 2018 to allow for more harvest opportunity of small to medium sized bass. The 2023 Bluegill trap-net catch rate of 17 fish is average compared to similar Minnesota lakes. Bluegill over 9 inches in length were captured in the survey with a very good portion of the catch achieving lengths over 8 inches. Balm Lake is planned for walleye fingerling stocking every other year, but recently has had older fish stocked as well.The Walleye gill-net catch rate was just over 6 fish/net in 2023 which placed it in the upper range of catch rates for similar lakes. Walleye had a good average size of 14.7 inches in length and 1.1 lbs./fish. The largest Walleye captured was over 25 inches in length. Northern Pike are not overly abundant in Balm Lake but many achieve quality sizes. The 2023 gill-net catch rate of just under 3 fish per net was below the normal range of catch rates for similar lakes. Northern Pike had a good average size of 24.5 inches and fish over 33 inches in length were captured in this survey. Black Crappie catch rates are rarely high in mid-summer surveys but a decent number were captured in deeper net sets with lengths recorded up to nearly 11 inches. The catch rate of almost 6 fish/gill net in those sets was much higher than similar area lakes. Other species of fish captured in the 2023 survey were Golden Shiner, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, White Sucker and Yellow Perch.

Balm Lake is a 537-acre lake, located 25 miles east of Clearbrook in Clearwater County. A targeted survey was completed on Balm Lake by Bemidji Area Fisheries staff during July of 2023 to assess the nearshore fish community and overall health of the lake. In this survey, 14 nearshore sites (100-foot) were evenly spaced along the lakeshore to sample a variety of aquatic habitat types and collect a representative sample of the nearshore fish community. Depending on the habitat conditions at each site, backpack electrofishing and shoreline seining were attempted where possible. All 14 sites were sampled with seine and backpack electrofishing. A total of 11 species were sampled, which included 4 species (Banded Killifish, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter and Rock Bass) captured that are intolerant to disturbance or poor water quality. Nearshore fish community data was analyzed with information collected from the standard survey in 2023 to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) score to measure the biological condition and overall health of Balm Lake. In Minnesota, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and healthy habitat (e.g. Blacknose Shiner, Mimic Shiner, Tullibee (cisco), and Mottled Sculpin), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g. Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, and Green Sunfish). The combination of fish species present may identify stressors negatively affecting the lake environment. The FIBI score is composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics to indicate the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on FIBI search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website (www.mndnr.gov). In coordination with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Upper/Lower Red Lake Watershed assessment.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Black Crappie, Northern Pike, and Bluegill in Balm. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Balm. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Balm has a maximum depth of 33 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Balm is from 2023.

No invasive species are on record for Balm in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.