Rice Lake

Rice Lake carries a solid B grade — strong on most parameters, with measurements that hold up well across the summer season. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Wisconsin lakes fall. Rice Lake is a shallow lake at 10 ft maximum depth, which means it warms quickly, mixes constantly, and amplifies nutrient inputs. At 128 acres, Rice Lake fits the Wisconsin median for monitored lakes, with partial shoreline records. Within Polk County's 77 graded lakes, Rice Lake ranks 44 — below the local median, though not at the bottom.

No invasive species are currently listed at Rice Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. The fishery is bass-led, with 3 documented species across the lake's records. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.