Balsam Lake (Wisconsin)
Encyclopedia
Balsam Lake covers over 65 mi (105 km) of shoreline and covering a surface area of 2,054 acre (831 ha) and is the biggest lake
in Polk County, Wisconsin
. Public access to the lake by boat ramps are on the northwest, southwest and East Balsam. It is fed by natural springs and seepage from wetlands on the southwesten, northeastern and eastern shores. Maximum depth is 37 ft (11 m).
Balsam Lake is well known for its great fishing for panfish (bluegill
, sunfish
, crappie
, yellow perch
, and bullhead
) and sport fish such as largemouth bass
, walleye
, and northern pike
. Other recreational activities such as boating, canoeing, swimming and water-skiing in summer and ice fishing
, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing
and the 17.8 mi (29 km) Cattail State Trail.
Over fifty businesses line the shore of the lake, including resorts, motels, bait and tackle shops, grocery stores, restaurants, insurance offices, chiropractic, hardware, gas stations, taverns and more
The original plat records the Ojibwe Indian name of this place as Innenehinduc. Translated as "Place of the Evergreen", the town and village of Balsam Lake were named after this large lake.
Balsam Branch, the main outlet of Balsam Lake is a Class II trout stream.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in Polk County, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. Public access to the lake by boat ramps are on the northwest, southwest and East Balsam. It is fed by natural springs and seepage from wetlands on the southwesten, northeastern and eastern shores. Maximum depth is 37 ft (11 m).
Balsam Lake is well known for its great fishing for panfish (bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
, sunfish
Centrarchidae
The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...
, crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, yellow perch
Yellow perch
The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
, and bullhead
Bullhead
-Fishes:* Certain sculpins, including:** European bullhead, Cottus gobio** Siberian bullhead, Cottus poecilopus** Norway bullhead, Taurulus Liljeborgi* Catfish of the genus Ameiurus, including:** Black bullhead, Ameiurus melas...
) and sport fish such as largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...
, and northern pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...
. Other recreational activities such as boating, canoeing, swimming and water-skiing in summer and ice fishing
Ice fishing
Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice anglers may sit on the stool in the open on a frozen lake, or in a heated cabin on the ice, some with bunks and amenities.-Locations:It is a popular pastime...
, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
and the 17.8 mi (29 km) Cattail State Trail.
Over fifty businesses line the shore of the lake, including resorts, motels, bait and tackle shops, grocery stores, restaurants, insurance offices, chiropractic, hardware, gas stations, taverns and more
The original plat records the Ojibwe Indian name of this place as Innenehinduc. Translated as "Place of the Evergreen", the town and village of Balsam Lake were named after this large lake.
Balsam Branch, the main outlet of Balsam Lake is a Class II trout stream.