Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys · latest July 26, 2021
Species recorded at Rays Lake
15 species on the Minnesota DNR list for this lake. A species on the list has been recorded here; it does not mean it is catchable today or in every part of the lake.
Stocking at Rays Lake
No stocking record for Rays Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is an absence in the published record, not a confirmation that the lake is unstocked — some waters are managed as naturally reproducing and never appear in a stocking list at all.
Getting on the water
2 public boat landings are recorded on Rays Lake. Minnesota DNR lists the public access sites, including ramp type and parking, in the documents below.
Survey results in full
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
Common questions
What fish are in Rays Lake?
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on July 26, 2021 caught 0.22 walleye per trap net at Rays Lake. Minnesota DNR lists 15 species for the lake in total. Those are survey results, not a catch report: a net set on one date measures what was in that net.
When was Rays Lake last surveyed?
The most recent fisheries survey on file for Rays Lake is dated July 26, 2021. Survey intervals vary by lake and by species; a gap of several years between surveys is normal and does not mean the record is missing.
Is Rays Lake stocked?
No stocking record for Rays Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR material on file. That is not the same as a confirmed unstocked lake: it means no stocking document was published for it in the records this page draws on.
Do the water-quality readings tell me how Rays Lake fishes?
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.
Before you eat what you catch
Water-quality readings are not a consumption advisory. Mercury and PCB advice for Minnesota waters comes from MDH, and it is issued per species and per size class: a lake with clear, low-nutrient water can still carry a meal limit on larger predator fish.
Where to stay near Rays Lake
Top-rated places to stay near Rays Lake
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