Rice Lake
Morrison County, Minnesota339 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Rice Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 8 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Rice Lake in Morrison County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 339.41 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 5, 1990 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Rice Lake. DNR survey details →
Rice Lake is a 339-acre lake in Morrison County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 8 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-09-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Rice Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. 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.
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility. TSI 67.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2ft | 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. | 67 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Rice Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Rice Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was high (937,562 cells/mL) on July 18, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 5, 1990 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Rice Lake.
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
2 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1990-06-05 (Standard Survey).
2 surveys on file · most recent 1990-06-05 (Standard Survey)
36 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bullhead | 18.29 | 0.18 lb | |
| Brown Bullhead | 8.88 | 0.46 lb | |
| Yellow Bullhead | 7.54 | 0.44 lb | |
| Yellow Perch | 7.29 | 0.39 lb | |
| White Sucker | 2.21 | 1.66 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.
From the 1990-06-05 survey
RICE LAKE IS A REGULAR WINTERKILL LAKE WHICH NORMA LLY WILL NOT OVERWINTER GAME FISH. NO FISH ARE ST OCKED IN RICE LAKE AND REPOPULATION OCCURS BY IMMI GRATION FROMTHE PLATTE RIVER. A NUMBER OF ADULT G AME FISH WERE CAPTURED DURING OUR ASSESSMENT, INCL UDING NORTHERN PIKE, ROCK BASS, AND WALLEYE. SMAL LMOUTH BASS,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Rice Lake. 3 reports 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
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Rice (1930)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — RicePublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
8 ft
Surface area
339 acres
Shoreline
6.6 mi
Littoral zone
100%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
357 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,086 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- County Road 256Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Rice Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Rice Lake in Morrison 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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Fishing Rice Lake
Nearby Lakes in Morrison County
Frequently asked questions about Rice Lake
Where is Rice Lake?
- Rice Lake is a lake in Morrison 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 Morrison County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 8 ft. Surface area: 339.41 acres.
Is Rice Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Rice Lake?
- Rice Lake has a maximum depth of 8 feet. The lake covers 339.41 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Rice Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 5, 1990 caught 1.00 walleye per gill net at Rice Lake. 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.
Does Rice Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Rice Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was high (937,562 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Minnesota's current advisory before swimming.
Are there boat ramps on Rice Lake?
- Rice Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include County Road 256. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Rice Lake?
- Rice 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 Rice Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA5 samples · 2023
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory