Pokegama Lake vs Rush Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pokegama Lake and Rush Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Minnesota.
Both Pokegama Lake and Rush Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. These two sit close on the readings, Pokegama Lake versus Rush Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With readings 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.
Pokegama Lake
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Rush Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pokegama Lake | Rush Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 2 ft | 3 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 170 µg/L | 55.5 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 46.8 µg/L | 31.4 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 25 ft Better | 24 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,521 acres | 1,494 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 23 Better | 16 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | eutrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Pokegama Lake or Rush Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade F. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Pokegama Lake: 2 ft, Rush Lake: 3 ft) and what you want from the lake. Pokegama Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.