15 miles north of Taconite
Itasca County, Minnesota · 47.5277° N, 93.4130° W
Directions to Balsam Lake Public Water Access SiteApple Maps
Directions open in Google or Apple Maps, to the Minnesota DNR public access site.
Updated 19 Oct 2026, 6:03 pm EDT.
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Minnesota DNR lake survey, fetched 15 Oct 2026. Not for navigation.
1 public access site on Balsam Lake.
Minnesota DNR public water accesses, fetched 15 Oct 2026.
Minnesota DNR’s latest standard fish survey of Balsam Lake was in June 2022: 12 gill nets and 12 trap nets caught 12 species.
Walleye per gill net, standard surveys: 1992 1.0 · 2000 0.9 · 2006 0.9 · 2016 0.3 · 2022 0.1
Bluegill per trap net, standard surveys: 1992 13 · 2000 40 · 2006 40 · 2016 22 · 2022 23
Northern pike: 74 measured, 14 to 36 in, half 21 in or longer; average 3 lb, above normal (normal 1.5–2.7 lb).
Largemouth bass: 5 measured, 7 to 19 in, half 9 in or longer; average 1.7 lb, above normal (normal 0.5–1.1 lb).
Black crappie: 83 measured, 4 to 12 in, half 8 in or longer; average 0.4 lb, normal (normal 0.2–0.4 lb).
Bluegill: 321 measured, 3 to 8 in, half 5 in or longer; average 0.19 lb, normal (normal 0.1–0.3 lb).
Yellow perch: 56 measured, 5 to 8 in, half 6 in or longer; average 0.09 lb, below normal (normal 0.1–0.2 lb).
Also caught: brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, tullibee (cisco), yellow bullhead.
Source: Minnesota DNR Fisheries lake survey, 27 Jun 2022, via LakeFinder, fetched 15 Oct 2026. Normal range: DNR’s range for lakes of the same class (43 classes, grouped by water chemistry and shape). Each line has its own scale. How we measure
Measured water clarity averages about 7 ft: the Secchi depth across 7 readings, 2006–2022.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and volunteer Secchi readings, via Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, fetched 15 Oct 2026.
Minnesota DNR lake survey; straight-line miles.
Balsam Lake is 37 feet at its deepest point, measured by Minnesota DNR survey. It covers 716 acres.
Yes. 1 public access site is listed: Balsam Lake Public Water Access Site.
Minnesota DNR’s June 2022 standard survey caught 12 species, most often bluegill, black crappie, northern pike and yellow perch.
About 74% of the lake's area is deeper than 10 feet, measured from Minnesota DNR depth contours.