Rabbit Lake
Aitkin County, Minnesota212 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Rabbit Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 51 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Rabbit Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 51 ft. Surface area: 211.61 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on May 27, 2025 caught 0.50 walleye per hour of electrofishing at Rabbit Lake. DNR survey details →
Rabbit Lake is a 212-acre lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 51 feet (19-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 13 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Rabbit Lake covers about 210 acres in Aitkin County. It has one public boat landing. The median ice-out date is April 14, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Rabbit Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Rabbit Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing13 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 14
- Deep water51 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Rabbit 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 Rabbit Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Rabbit 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 9.3 ft. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Rabbit Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Rabbit Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 56°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 58°F) and coldest in May (about 48°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (48°F) to its warmest (58°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 139 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Rabbit Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on May 27, 2025 caught 0.50 walleye per hour of electrofishing at Rabbit Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rabbit Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
13 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-05-27 (Targeted Survey).
13 surveys on file · most recent 2025-05-27 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 29.59 | 3–8 in 2024-06-24 | 0.11 lb |
| Hybrid Sunfish | 5.03 | 3–9 in 2024-06-24 | 0.25 lb |
| Green Sunfish | 4.30 | 4–5 in 2024-06-24 | 0.1 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 3.87 | ||
| Pumpkinseed | 3.58 | 3–7 in 2024-06-24 | 0.2 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 3.20 | 3–18 in 2025-05-27 | 0.88 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
Hybrid Sunfish
Green Sunfish
Pumpkinseed
From the 2025-05-27 survey
Daytime electrofishing was carried out on 5/27/2025 at Rabbit Lake to monitor the Largemouth Bass population. This was the first time Largemouth Bass have been targeted on Rabbit Lake during an electrofishing survey. Two netters were used, and sampling occurred for 2 hours. A total of 68 Largemouth Bass were captured,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Rabbit Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — RabbitFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Rabbit (0009)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — RabbitPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
51 ft
Average depth
19 ft
Surface area
212 acres
Shoreline
4.6 mi
Littoral zone
36%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
17 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,263 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Rabbit LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Rabbit Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Rabbit Lake in Aitkin 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Rabbit Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
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 Rabbit Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2021–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 14
Earliest Mar 21, 2012 · Latest May 9, 2013
Typical ice-in
Nov 30
Earliest Nov 25, 2003 · Latest Dec 20, 2001
Most recent ice-out
Mar 31
2024
24 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in Aitkin County
Frequently asked questions about Rabbit Lake
Where is Rabbit Lake?
- Rabbit Lake is a lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Rabbit Lake?
- Rabbit Lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 51 ft. Surface area: 211.61 acres.
Is Rabbit 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 Rabbit Lake?
- Rabbit Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in September, from 139 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Rabbit Lake?
- Rabbit Lake has a maximum depth of 51 feet and an average depth of 19 feet. The lake covers 211.61 acres.
What fish are in Rabbit Lake?
- Fish species found in Rabbit Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Rabbit Lake is located in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Rabbit Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on May 27, 2025 caught 0.50 walleye per hour of electrofishing at Rabbit Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rabbit Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Rabbit Lake thaw?
- Rabbit Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 14. Ice typically forms around Nov 30. The open water season is approximately 230 days.
Are there boat ramps on Rabbit Lake?
- Rabbit Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Rabbit Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Rabbit Lake?
- Rabbit Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Rabbit Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
114 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA114 samples · 2021–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate