Balsam

Balsam Lake is a class 25 lake located 14 miles north of Taconite, MN. The lake has one public access and is moderately developed. Balsam Lake has a history of producing large Northern Pike. A special regulation was implemented in the spring of 2006 to maintain or improve size structure. The regulation requires all Northern Pike from 24 to 36 inches be released and only one over 36 inches can be in possession. The daily limit is three. The 2017 lake management plan (LMP) indicates Northern Pike as the primary species of management with Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass as secondary species. The LMP goals include maintaining the Northern Pike gill net catch at 5.3/net with 70, 25, and 10% of the fish over 21, 28, and 34 inches. Other goals were to maintain the Black Crappie gill net or trap net catch near 3.0/net and maintain a spring night electrofishing catch for Largemouth Bass greater than 15/hour on-time. A standard survey was conducted in June of 2022 to assess the fish community and evaluate the Northern Pike special regulation. A total of 12 gill nets and 12 trap nets were used in the survey. Additional sampling of near shore fish species was conducted to calculate an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) score. The IBI information is in a separate Targeted Survey report. Electrofishing for Largemouth Bass was not completed in 2022 due to staffing and workload considerations. Northern Pike gill net catch rates have ranged from 3.3 to 10.4 fish/net since 1966. The 2022 catch of 6.0 fish/net was below average for the lake but near the LMP goal. Lower pike numbers are desirable because slow growth and poor size structure is more common when densities are high. Northern Pike ranged from 14.6 to 36.2 inches and averaged 23 inches. Size structure goals were not achieved since only 60, 18, and 3% of the sample were 21, 28, and 34 inches long. Size quality of pike appears to have modestly improved since the regulation went into effect and good angling opportunities exist. Black Crappie catch rates have been quite variable since 1966, however size structure resembled past surveys. The gill net catch rate exceeded the LMP goal in 2022 (4.0 fish/net). The gill net sampled fish ranged from 5.0 to 12.5 inches and averaged 8.7 inches. Nearly 22 percent of captured crappie exceeded 10 inches. Given the relative abundance and size structure, modest angling opportunities appear to exist. Balsam Lake has a history of producing high numbers of small Bluegill. The 2022 trap net catch was near the lake average and typical compared to similar lakes. Bluegill lengths ranged from 3.0 to 8.9 inches and averaged 5.9 inches. Only 6 percent of the sampled Bluegill exceeded 8 inches. Good angling opportunities of moderate-sized sunfish appear to exist given the abundance and size structure. Tullibee are an important prey fish but are difficult to sample with our standard summer surveys due to their pelagic nature. Catch rates have ranged from 0 to 14.2 fish/gill net since 1966. Like many Minnesota lakes, Tullibee in Balsam appear to have declined over time. The catch of 1.2/net in 2022 was typical for lakes with similar habitats but below average for Balsam. The sampled fish ranged from 8.7 to 15.1 inches and averaged 12.7 inches. Yellow Perch catches have typically been low, ranging from 0 to 5.6/gill net since 1966. In 2022, the catch was 4.7 fish/gill net. The sampled fish ranged from 5.6 to 8.5 inches and had a mean length of 6.3 inches. Yellow Perch are unlikely to attract angler interest due to their poor size structure and low numbers. Lakes like Balsam seldom have good Walleye populations because they have low productivity, bog-stained water, and low perch numbers. Past evaluations have determined Walleye natural reproduction was poor and various stocking strategies have failed to produce a viable fishery. Since 1966, the gill net catch rates have fluctuated from 0 to 1.0 Walleye/net and the catch was 0.1/net in 2022. Despite Walleye stocking being popular with anglers, it has not been effective in Balsam, and it would not be a wise use of future resources. Other species observed during the survey included Brown Bullhead, Largemouth Bass, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Rock Bass, and Yellow Bullhead.

Balsam Lake is a moderate sized lake with low productivity located 14 miles north of Taconite, Minnesota. The lake has one public access and is moderately developed. Balsam Lake has a history of producing large Northern Pike, so in an attempt to maintain or improve size structure, a special regulation was implemented in the spring of 2006. The regulation requires all Northern Pike from 24 to 36 inches to be released and only one over 36 inches can be in possession. The daily limit is at three. The 2012 lake management plan (LMP) indicates Northern Pike as the primary species of management with Black Crappie and Largemouth Bass as secondary species. A standard survey was conducted in June of 2016 to assess the fish community and evaluate the Northern Pike special regulation. A total of 12 gill nets and 11 trap nets were used in the survey as well as spring night electrofishing for Largemouth Bass. Additional sampling of near shore fish species was conducted in order to calculate an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) score. The IBI information is in a separate Targeted Survey report. The Northern Pike gill-net catch rate was higher than desired for Balsam Lake in 2016. The sampled fish ranged from 12.9 to 35.8 inches and averaged 21.7 inches. Although size distribution was good compared to many Northern Pike populations, the LMP size distribution goals were not attained. The large 2013 year-class has negatively influenced the size evaluation because those fish are still small. Natural reproduction occurs on a regular basis and fish up to nine years old were sampled. Growth was similar to the statewide averages with Northern Pike averaging 21.9 inches after four years. Northern Pike anglers have the potential to catch upper-20 to mid-30 inch fish in Balsam Lake. Black Crappie numbers tend to fluctuate as strong and weak year-classes move through the population. The net catches have been quite variable since 1966, reflecting those natural variations in a population. The population appeared to be in good shape in 2016 when the LMP goal of 4.0 fish/net was attained. The fish sampled by gill nets ranged from 4.7 to 13.0 inches and averaged 8.4 inches. Good natural reproduction was documented and the oldest fish were 11 years old. The strong 2011 year-class represented nearly 50% of the sample so it may require a couple years to attain sizes anglers desire. Fish averaged 8.4 inches after five years of growth, which is slow compared to other lakes with similar habitat. Largemouth Bass were sampled with spring night electrofishing three times since 2000 and the catch rates have remained stable. The 2016 catch exceeded the LMP goal. The sampled fish ranged from 9.3 to 19.1 inches and averaged 15.3 inches. Based on the age distribution of the sample, it appears natural reproduction is low but regular. Fish up to 11 years old were sampled and growth was similar to statewide averages for all ages. Lakes like Balsam seldom have good Walleye populations because they have low productivity, bog-stained water, and low perch numbers. Past evaluations have determined Walleye natural reproduction is poor and various stocking strategies have failed to produce a viable fishery. Since 1966, the gill-net catch rates have fluctuated from 0 to 1.0 Walleye/net and the catch was 0.3/net in 2016. Despite Walleye stocking being popular with anglers, it has not effective in Balsam and it would not be a wise use of future resources. Tullibee are difficult to sample with our standard summer surveys due to their pelagic nature. Catch rates have been variable since 1966 but were average when compared to similar types of lakes in 2016. The sampled fish ranged from 7.9 to 17.6 inches and averaged 10.6 inches. Tullibee are important prey for large predators like Northern Pike. Yellow Perch numbers have been low since 1966 and remained low in 2016. The sampled perch ranged from 5.7 to 7.8 inches and averaged 6.2 inches. Yellow Perch are not likely providing much fishing opportunity due to their poor size distribution or prey for predators due to their low numbers. Other species observed during the survey included Bluegill, Brown Bullhead, Golden Shiner, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Rock Bass, White Sucker and Yellow Bullhead. Additional species observed while sampling near-shore for IBI included Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Bluntnose Minnow, Central Mudminnow, Johnny Darter, Least Darter, Mottled Sculpin, Northern Sunfish, and Tadpole Madtom. In order to maintain or improve fish and wildlife populations, water quality and habitat must be protected. People often associate water quality problems with large-scale agricultural, forestry, urban development or industrial practices in the watershed. In reality, the impact of land use decisions on one lake lot may be relatively small, yet the cumulative impact of those decisions on many lake lots can result in a significant decline in water quality and habitat. For example, removing shoreline and aquatic vegetation, fertilizing lawns, mowing to the water's edge, installing beach sand blankets, failing septic systems and uncontrolled run-off, all contribute excess nutrients and sediment which degrade water quality and habitat. Understanding these cumulative impacts and taking steps to avoid or minimize them will help to insure our quality fisheries can be enjoyed by future generations.

Balsam Lake is a 710 acre lake located north of Taconite, MN in the Mississippi River watershed. The lake has a maximum depth of 37 feet and a littoral area of 296 acres. Balsam Lake is one of several area lakes that have historically produced large northern pike. A special regulation (24 to 36 inch protected slot limit) for northern pike was implemented beginning in 2006. The goal of the regulation was to maintain or improve the quality of the northern pike population. The 2011 special assessment was undertaken as part of the regulation evaluation. Gill nets were the only gear used and age and growth information was only collected from northern pike. The northern pike gill-net catch rate was 9.7/net, above the expected range but similar to recent assessments. Gill-net catches in three of the last four assessments were above the lake class third quartile. Size structure was fairly modest, with a PSD of 50, a PSD-P of 9 and a PSD-M of 2. Gill-net sampled pike ranged from 9.8 to 36.3 inches, with a mean length of 20.7 inches. Northern pike sampled in pre-regulation assessments had a similar size structure. It appears the protected slot limit is at least maintaining the size structure of the northern pike population. Pike over 28 inches are still being sampled at pre-regulation levels, with some fish over 34 inches present in the population. Recruitment appeared relatively consistent with ages 1 through 10 represented in the sample. Age 3 fish made up 33% of the sample. Growth was similar to the statewide average. The gill-net catch rate for walleye was 0.5/net in 2011. Catch rates have been below the lake class first quartile (1.3/net) in all prior assessments, varying from 0 to 1.0/net. Sampled walleye were relatively large, ranging from 20.7 to 25.1 inches. Yellow perch were sampled below the first quartile at 1.2/net. Net catches for yellow perch have typically been low, varying from 0.8 to 5.6/net in previous assessments. The black crappie gill-net catch was 2.7/net, above the lake class third quartile. Gill-net catches have been highly variable in previous surveys ranging from 0.3 to 19.0/net. Sampled crappie in 2011 varied from 4.7 to 9.3 inches, with a mean length of 7.1 inches. The gill-net catch rate for tullibee was within the expected range at 3.8/net. Catch rates in previous assessments have been variable from 2.6 to 14.25/net. Sampled tullibee ranged from 6.6 to 17.3 inches, with a mean length of 13 inches. Other species sampled included bluegill, rock bass, black bullhead, golden shiner and white sucker.

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

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

Balsam has a maximum depth of 37 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Balsam is from 2022.

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