Rush Lake

Rush Lake comes in at a B on the grading rubric — a respectable showing for a Minnesota lake of its size and depth. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Rush Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. The lake bottoms out at 37 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. Rush Lake is small — 78 acres alongside 1.7 miles of shoreline — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Among the 19 graded lakes in Pine County, Rush Lake sits at rank 5, above the county median.

No invasive species are currently listed at Rush Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 10, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. No formal public access is documented at Rush Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.