Rice Lake

How big is Rice Lake?

How deep is Rice Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Rice Lake?

What are the closest cities to Rice Lake?

Are there boat launches on Rice Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Rice Lake?

What are the fishing regulations for Rice Lake?

There are specific fishing regulations Rice Lake that you need to know. For complete fishing regulations visit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. To report a violation call (800) 652-9093. Need a Minnesota fishing license?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Rice Lake?

Rice Lake is a 322 acre impoundment of the Mississippi River created by a dam owned by the City of Brainerd. Because of this, not only will anglers find typical lake species but there are also riverine species present as well. Smallmouth bass is the primary management species while walleye, northern pike, and muskellunge are secondary management species.

The smallmouth bass catch rate was 0.7/gill net, which is above average for lakes similar to Rice. The average length of these fish was an impressive 17.5". Fish as large as 18.4" were sampled with all of the smallmouth bass measuring greater than 12". Electrofishing was also conducted to sample both largemouth and smallmouth bass. Although only 1 smallmouth bass was sampled (15.8"), largemouth bass were sampled at a rate of 15.5 per hour. The average size of these largemouth bass was 13.7". Rice Lake gives anglers in the Brainerd Lakes area an opportunity of fishing for both largemouth and smallmouth bass on the same body of water.

The walleye catch rate was 2.0/gill net, which is just slightly below average for lakes like Rice. Average length was nearly 15" and largest was close to 23". About 67% of the walleyes sampled were 12" or larger. There were 6 year classes represented with 24 % coming from the 2011 year class.

The northern pike catch rate was 3.6/gill net. This is slightly below average for lakes similar to Rice. The average length was a respectable 24.4". Also, 53% were 24" or larger.

Growth rates of both walleyes and northern pike are above average in Rice due to a decent forage base of yellow perch. The yellow perch catch rate was 16.2/gill net, which is above average for lakes like Rice. Although most of them don't attain sizes preferred by anglers, many are the perfect size forage for the walleye and northern pike of Rice Lake.

Panfish are another option for anglers. Black crappie catch rates were above average at 6.1/gill net. The average size was just over 8" with fish up to nearly 11" measured. Forty-one percent of the black crappies were 9" or larger. The bluegill catch rate was 12.4/trap net, which is a little below average. The bluegill average size was 6.3" with the largest being 8.7". Twenty-one percent of bluegill were 7" or larger.

Because of the riverine influence on Rice Lake, channel catfish are available to anglers. The catch rate was 1.1/gill net while the average size was 18.2".

Muskellunge offer another unique fish anglers may try for. Although none were sampled during the survey, there are angler reports of fisherman catching them in Rice Lake as well as the Mississippi River. Muskellunge were stocked in the Mississippi River in 1980 and again starting in 2006.

Other fish species sampled include bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, greater redhorse, hybrid sunfish, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, silver redhorse, and yellow bullhead.

What is the average air temp for Rice Lake?

Are there any state parks near Rice Lake?