Rice Lake
Cook County, Minnesota223 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Rice Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 10 ft max depth
- Limited data
Rice Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 17 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 10 ft. Surface area: 222.52 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 6, 2021 caught 3.80 walleye per gill net at Rice Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 2–21 inches. DNR survey details →
Rice Lake is a 223-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 10 feet. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including northern pike, pumpkinseed, and smallmouth bass. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-07-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Rice Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing6 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Rice Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Rice 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 Rice Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Rice 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 5.7 ft. Phosphorus 17 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.2 µg/L. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 17µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6.2µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Rice Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 6, 2021 caught 3.80 walleye per gill net at Rice Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 2–21 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rice Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
7 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2021-07-06 (Standard Survey).
7 surveys on file · most recent 2021-07-06 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sucker | 13.93 | 1–20 in 2021-07-06 | 2.11 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 8.97 | 1–11 in 2021-07-06 | 0.24 lb |
| Walleye | 6.84 | 2–21 in 2021-07-06 | 1.3 lb |
| Smallmouth Bass | 3.24 | 1–16 in 2021-07-06 | 0.92 lb |
| Northern Pike | 2.32 | 11–42 in 2021-07-06 | 1.35 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.
White Sucker
Yellow Perch
Walleye
Smallmouth Bass
From the 2021-07-06 survey
Rice Lake is a shallow, heavily vegetated lake that is the lowermost of the headwater lakes in the Poplar River watershed. Despite a rough access, it reportedly sees a fair amount of angling use. The lake is currently managed for Walleye, although it also supports minor fisheries for Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Rice Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — RiceFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
10 ft
Surface area
223 acres
Shoreline
5.2 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
20 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,706 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Rice Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Rice Lake in Cook 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 Rice Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Rice Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Rice 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: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN16-0453-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Rice Lake
Where is Rice Lake?
- Rice Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Rice Lake?
- Rice Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 17 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 10 ft. Surface area: 222.52 acres.
Is Rice Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Rice Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Rice Lake?
- Rice Lake has a maximum depth of 10 feet. The lake covers 222.52 acres.
What fish are in Rice Lake?
- Fish species found in Rice Lake include northern pike, pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Rice Lake is located in Cook County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Rice Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 6, 2021 caught 3.80 walleye per gill net at Rice Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 2–21 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rice Lake’s water-quality measurements separately. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Rice Lake?
- Public access to Rice 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.
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Where this data comes from
5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA5 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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