Dudley Lake
Rice County, Minnesota128 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Dudley Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 60 ft max depth
Dudley Lake in Rice County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 54 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 60 ft. Surface area: 128.2 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 15, 2022 caught 0.49 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Dudley Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–13 inches. DNR survey details →
Dudley Lake is a 128-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Rice County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 60 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 11 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 13 other monitored lakes in Rice County, Dudley Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-08-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Dudley Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing11 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Mar 30
- Deep water60 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Dudley Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Dudley Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Dudley Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9 ft. Phosphorus 54 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 13.6 µg/L. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 54µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 13.6µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Dudley Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Dudley Lake typically sits around 54°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 57°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 59°F) and coldest in Oct (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (59°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 98 field readings (2022–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Dudley Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 15, 2022 caught 0.49 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Dudley Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–13 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Dudley Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
10 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2022-06-15 (Targeted Survey).
10 surveys on file · most recent 2022-06-15 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 47.20 | 3–9 in 2021-06-07 | 0.13 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 6.75 | 3–8 in 2021-06-07 | 0.1 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 5.09 | 3–13 in 2021-06-07 | 0.79 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 4.01 | 5–14 in 2021-06-07 | 0.66 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 3.66 | 6–12 in 2021-06-07 | 0.63 lb |
| Northern Pike | 3.56 | 10–29 in 2021-06-07 | 1.99 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Bluegill
Pumpkinseed
Largemouth Bass
Yellow Bullhead
From the 2022-06-15 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Kelly & Dudley Lake was conducted on June 15, 2022, by DNR Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Dudley Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — DudleyFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Dudley (1388)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
60 ft
Surface area
128 acres
Shoreline
3.2 mi
Littoral zone
66%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Dudley Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Dudley Lake in Rice County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Dudley Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Dudley Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Dudley Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+2 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+5.1 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Mar 30
Earliest Mar 1, 2024 · Latest Apr 29, 2018
Typical ice-in
Dec 3
Earliest Nov 29, 2007 · Latest Dec 19, 2015
Most recent ice-out
Mar 26
2026
22 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Rice County
Frequently asked questions about Dudley Lake
Where is Dudley Lake?
- Dudley Lake is a lake in Rice County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Dudley Lake?
- Dudley Lake in Rice County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 54 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 60 ft. Surface area: 128.2 acres.
Is Dudley Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Dudley Lake?
- Dudley Lake typically sits around 54°F at the surface in October, from 98 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Dudley Lake?
- Dudley Lake has a maximum depth of 60 feet. The lake covers 128.2 acres.
What fish are in Dudley Lake?
- Fish species found in Dudley Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Dudley Lake is located in Rice County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Dudley Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on June 15, 2022 caught 0.49 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Dudley Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–13 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Dudley Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Dudley Lake thaw?
- Dudley Lake typically has ice-out around Mar 30. Ice typically forms around Dec 3. The open water season is approximately 248 days.
Can I fish at Dudley Lake?
- Public access to Dudley Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Dudley Lake across LakeQuality
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Fish species and best lakes in Rice County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
32 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA32 samples · 2022–2023
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate