It covers 15,742.4 acres (6,370.7 ha), has 72.5 miles (116.7 km) of shoreline, and has an average depth of 29.7 feet (9.1 m) with a maximum depth of 73.3 feet (22.3 m).

[1] It is stocked by the North Dakota Department of Natural Resources with Walleye, Yellow Perch, and Northern Pike.

If water levels exceed 1,458 feet (444 m) the combined lake would flow into the Sheyenne River.

[3] Local Native Americans have referred to the lake as "Chicot" which translates as "a place of stumps".

[4] The Stump Lake Park is the location of the Old Settler's Pavilion, listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, which has been threatened by the rising water level.