Rhine Lake
Pine County, Minnesota116 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Rhine Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 8 ft max depth
- Limited data
Rhine Lake in Pine County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 116.12 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 5, 2000 caught 19.00 northern pike per gill net at Rhine Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–31 inches. DNR survey details →
Rhine Lake is a 116-acre lake in Pine County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 8 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Rhine Lake covers about 120 acres in Pine County. The median ice-out date is April 11, which is when the open-water season begins. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Rhine Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Rhine Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing9 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 11
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Rhine Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Rhine 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 Rhine Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Rhine Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility. TSI 64.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.5ft | 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. | 64 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Rhine Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Rhine Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 77°F) and coldest in May (about 65°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (65°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 8 field readings (2025–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Rhine Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 5, 2000 caught 19.00 northern pike per gill net at Rhine Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–31 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rhine Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2000-06-05 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 2000-06-05 (Standard Survey)
26 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 76.38 | 4–10 in 2000-06-05 | 0.15 lb |
| Black Crappie | 22.31 | 3–11 in 2000-06-05 | 0.18 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 20.54 | 5 in 2000-06-05 | 0.06 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 6.92 | 5–9 in 2000-06-05 | 0.16 lb |
| Northern Pike | 6.33 | 15–31 in 2000-06-05 | 3.29 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 3.36 | 3–7 in 2000-06-05 | 0.12 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
Black Crappie
Golden Shiner
Yellow Perch
From the 2000-06-05 survey
Rhine Lake is a 111 acre clear, moderately soft water basin. The maximum depth is 8 feet with a mean depth of approximately 5 feet. Substrates are predominately sand, muck, and detritus with an abundance of aquatic vegetation. Rhine Lake is susceptible to periodic winter kill. Access to Rhine Lake can only be gained…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Rhine Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — RhineFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Rhine (0350)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
8 ft
Surface area
116 acres
Shoreline
1.9 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,138 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Rhine Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Rhine Lake in Pine 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 Rhine 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 Rhine Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 11
Earliest Apr 9, 2005 · Latest Apr 23, 2008
Typical ice-in
Nov 19
Earliest Nov 5, 2004 · Latest Nov 22, 2007
Most recent ice-out
Apr 23
2008
10 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
EPA Impairment Status
Rhine Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN58-0136-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Pine County
Frequently asked questions about Rhine Lake
Where is Rhine Lake?
- Rhine Lake is a lake in Pine County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Rhine Lake?
- Rhine Lake in Pine County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 116.12 acres.
Is Rhine Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Rhine Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Rhine Lake?
- Rhine Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September, from 8 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Rhine Lake?
- Rhine Lake has a maximum depth of 8 feet. The lake covers 116.12 acres.
What fish are in Rhine Lake?
- Fish species found in Rhine Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, northern pike, pumpkinseed, sunfish, white sucker, yellow perch. Rhine Lake is located in Pine County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Rhine Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 5, 2000 caught 19.00 northern pike per gill net at Rhine Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 15–31 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rhine Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Rhine Lake thaw?
- Rhine Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 11. Ice typically forms around Nov 19. The open water season is approximately 222 days.
Can I fish at Rhine Lake?
- Public access to Rhine 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 Rhine Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
38 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
MNPCA38 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate