Rush Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota5,276 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Rush Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- zebra mussel
- 68 ft max depth
- Public access
Rush Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 27 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 68 ft. Surface area: 5275.68 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 11, 2025 caught 9.92 walleye per gill net at Rush Lake. DNR survey details →
Free interactive depth-contour map of Rush Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 65 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Minnesota DNR.
Rush Lake is a 5,276-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 68 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 19 documented fish species including black bullhead, black crappie, and bluegill. Public access is available. Compared to the 65 other monitored lakes in Otter Tail County, Rush Lake ranks #58 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 5,300 acres, Rush Lake is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. The median ice-out date is April 14, which is when the open-water season begins. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Rush Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Rush Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing19 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 14
- Deep water68 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water5,276 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Rush Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Rush 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 Rush Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Rush Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft. Phosphorus 27 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 9.8 µg/L. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 27µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 9.8µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Rush Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Rush Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in May (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 145 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Rush Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 11, 2025 caught 9.92 walleye per gill net at Rush Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rush 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
15 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2025-08-11 (Standard Survey).
15 surveys on file · most recent 2025-08-11 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluntnose Minnow | 32.02 | ||
| Yellow Perch | 21.89 | 4–10 in 2025-08-11 | 0.12 lb |
| Bluegill | 12.19 | 3–8 in 2025-08-11 | 0.16 lb |
| Spottail Shiner | 9.84 |
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.
Yellow Perch
Bluegill
From the 2025-08-11 survey
Rush Lake is 5,337-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County two miles north of Ottertail, MN. Rush Lake is part of the Otter Tail River Watershed. The Otter Tail River inlet is located along the north shoreline while the outlet is located along the southwest shoreline of the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Rush Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — RushFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — RushFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — RushPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
68 ft
Surface area
5,276 acres
Shoreline
13.6 mi
Littoral zone
63%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
671 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,309 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Rush Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Rush Lake in Otter Tail 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 Rush 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 Rush Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.97 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.17 µg/L/yr6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 14
Earliest Mar 21, 2012 · Latest May 6, 2022
Most recent ice-out
May 3
2023
8 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Rush Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Rush Lake (completed 1937), built primarily for recreation on the Otter Tail River; gravity-type dam, 8 ft tall and 105 ft long.
- Surface area
- 5,233 ac
- Normal storage
- 52,330 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 78,345 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 669.6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MNDNR-EWR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MN00211 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Rush 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 MN56-0141-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Otter Tail County
Frequently asked questions about Rush Lake
Where is Rush Lake?
- Rush Lake is a lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Rush Lake?
- Rush Lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 27 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 68 ft. Surface area: 5275.68 acres.
Is Rush Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Rush Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Rush Lake?
- Rush Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September, from 145 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Rush Lake?
- Rush Lake has a maximum depth of 68 feet. The lake covers 5275.68 acres.
What fish are in Rush Lake?
- Fish species found in Rush Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake sturgeon, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Rush Lake is located in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Rush Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on August 11, 2025 caught 9.92 walleye per gill net at Rush Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Rush 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.
When does Rush Lake thaw?
- Rush Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 14.
Can I fish at Rush Lake?
- Public access to Rush Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Rush Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
197 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA197 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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