Rays Lake
Le Sueur County, Minnesota169 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Rays Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- 32 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Rays Lake in Le Sueur County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 32 ft. Surface area: 168.93 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 26, 2021 caught 0.22 walleye per trap net at Rays Lake. DNR survey details →
Rays Lake is a 169-acre lake in Le Sueur County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 32 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-08-31. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Rays Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Fishing15 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Mar 29
- Deep water32 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 Rays 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 Rays Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Rays Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft. TSI 59.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.5ft | 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. | 59 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Rays Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Rays Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 69°F) and coldest in May (about 61°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (61°F) to its warmest (69°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 245 field readings (2017–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Rays Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 26, 2021 caught 0.22 walleye per trap net at Rays Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rays Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. 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: 2021-07-26 (Targeted Survey).
10 surveys on file · most recent 2021-07-26 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 34.25 | 9–12 in 2020-07-10 | 0.47 lb |
| Bluegill | 32.64 | 3–8 in 2021-07-26 | 0.13 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 23.99 | 0 in 2003-07-21 | |
| Green Sunfish | 23.83 | 2–4 in 2003-07-21 | |
| Black Crappie | 15.93 | 4–11 in 2021-07-26 | 0.2 lb |
| Yellow Bullhead | 3.06 | 7–14 in 2021-07-26 | 0.83 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.
Black Bullhead
Bluegill
Bluntnose Minnow
Green Sunfish
From the 2021-07-26 survey
Rays (Charles) Lake is a 156.3-acre lake located in Le Sueur County north of the town of Elysian. A public access is located on the south side of the lake off 1st Street North, which goes north from Elysian. Rays Lake has a maximum depth of 32.0 feet. Eurasian watermilfoil is present in Rays Lake. Boaters should be…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Rays Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — RaysFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — RaysPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
32 ft
Surface area
169 acres
Shoreline
2.2 mi
Littoral zone
82%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Recreation & Access
- Rays LakePublic
- Lake FrancesPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Rays Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Rays Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Rays Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-4 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-4.7 µg/L/yr2 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Mar 29
Earliest Mar 21, 2015 · Latest Apr 16, 2008
Typical ice-in
Dec 6
Earliest Nov 19, 2008 · Latest Dec 14, 2004
Most recent ice-out
Mar 21
2015
12 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Rays Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- ElysianElysian · 0.5 mi away · NPDES MN0041114
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Le Sueur County
Frequently asked questions about Rays Lake
Where is Rays Lake?
- Rays Lake is a lake in Le Sueur County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Rays Lake?
- Rays Lake in Le Sueur County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 32 ft. Surface area: 168.93 acres.
Is Rays 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 Rays Lake?
- Rays Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September, from 245 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2017–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Rays Lake?
- Rays Lake has a maximum depth of 32 feet. The lake covers 168.93 acres.
What fish are in Rays Lake?
- Fish species found in Rays Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Rays Lake is located in Le Sueur County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Rays Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 26, 2021 caught 0.22 walleye per trap net at Rays Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rays Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Rays Lake thaw?
- Rays Lake typically has ice-out around Mar 29. Ice typically forms around Dec 6. The open water season is approximately 252 days.
Are there boat ramps on Rays Lake?
- Rays Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Rays Lake, Lake Frances. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Rays Lake?
- Rays Lake has 2 documented boat landings 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 Rays Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
34 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA34 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate