Minnesota Lake Depths
NESW

Rush Lake

Crow Wing County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey
100ft Max
depth
731 acres 10 contours
Paddling Index34ModestMedium confidence
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Rush Lake is mapped to a depth of 100 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 731 acres in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1959.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
100 ft
Survey year
1959
Surface area
731 acres
Shoreline
13.16 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
3% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details10 contours
Contour depths
0–100 ft
Recorded point soundings
100 ft
Compare with another lake
Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MN DNR Lake Bathymetric Contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

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Map details & sources4 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates
46.69358, -94.12519
MN DNR lake ID
18031100
Vertical exaggeration
1.4×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.2 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25
34 / 100ModestData confidence: Medium

Rush Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, nearby higher-volume roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingMixed15.3 of 4346% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (22% forest, 23% wetland; 31% developed)
Geometric wind exposureGood12.8 of 36mean fetch 1,910 m · 3% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch
Motor & speed rulesNot modeled—Minnesota’s lake-by-lake motor, speed and no-wake rules are mostly county and city ordinances, not map data, so they are not part of the Minnesota index. Check local signage and ordinances before going out.
Public accessNot listed—No public access site of this lake’s own in the MN DNR water access and fishing site records. Private, commercial and informal launches are not all in these records, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolationMixed6.3 of 21nearby higher-volume roads · 5 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 4,789 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity
Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Aquatic vegetation
Low — approximately 3% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity
Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential
Moderate — 22% forest and 23% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
State water trail
On a state water trail — Part of a designated Minnesota State Water Trail: Pine River. · MN DNR State Water Trails
How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public land-cover, access and traffic-count data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights for Minnesota lakes: natural setting 35%, geometric wind exposure 29%, public access 18%, road isolation 18%. Motor, speed and no-wake rules are not modeled for Minnesota, and traffic counts cover state, county and some city roads but not township roads. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Minnesota scores are relative to other Minnesota lakes and are not directly comparable with Paddling Index scores on our sister sites, which use different data sources, some with a watercraft-rules component. Sources: MN DNR lake bathymetry outline, USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021) and MnDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (counts 2023). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys

17 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colors, not photographs (provenance).

Compiled from Minnesota DNR fishery surveys. Silhouettes are stylized and scaled to typical adult sizes relative to one another. Presence is not a promise — fishing isn’t a sure thing.

Fishery

surveyed 2024
870Fish sampled
17Species

Gamefish Northern Pike 110 · Walleye 13 · Largemouth Bass 7 · Bowfin 1

Panfish Bluegill 395 · Rock Bass 78 · Hybrid Sunfish 39

All survey species17 species

Gamefish

Northern Pike110 caught · to 30″
Walleye13 caught · to 29″
Largemouth Bass7 caught · to 17″
Bowfin1 caught · to 26″

Panfish

Bluegill395 caught · to 7″
Rock Bass78 caught · to 10″
Hybrid Sunfish39 caught · to 9″
Yellow Perch38 caught · to 10″
Pumpkinseed30 caught · to 7″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead47 caught · to 12″
Black Bullhead1 caught · to 10″
Brown Bullhead1 caught · to 10″

Forage & nongame

Cisco92 caught · to 16″
Lake Whitefish15 caught · to 23″
Burbot1 caught · to 27″
Shorthead Redhorse1 caught · to 20″
White Sucker1 caught · to 18″
Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

Infested waters listing

2 confirmed

Mussels & snails

Plants & algae

What does the infested waters list mean?

The Minnesota DNR lists a lake, river, pond or wetland as infested when it contains an aquatic invasive species that could spread to other waters, or when it is connected to a water where one is present. Activities such as bait harvest and water use are managed differently on infested waters. Check the current list before moving water, bait or equipment.

Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. List of Infested Waters, September 9, 2026. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/infested.html

Quick answers

Rush Lake — common questions

How deep is Rush Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Rush Lake is 100 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Rush Lake?

Rush Lake covers about 731 acres in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Rush Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include burbot, lake whitefish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, black bullhead. The page lists all 17 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Rush Lake?

No public launch for Rush Lake appears in the Minnesota DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- private and commercial launches are not in that source.