Goose Lake vs Rush Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Goose Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Rush Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Chisago County, Minnesota.
Both Goose Lake and Rush Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. The grades are close: Goose Lake (C) and Rush Lake (D) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Goose Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.5 ft.
Rush Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Goose Lake | Rush Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 4.5 ft | 3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 33 µg/L | 61 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 9.6 µg/L | 29.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 55 ft | 24 ft |
| Surface Area | 731.77 acres | 1.5K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Goose Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Rush Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 4.5 ft vs 3 ft. For fishing diversity, Goose Lake also leads with 1 species.