Rice

Rice Lake is an 817-acre lake located 4 miles northeast of Squaw Lake, MN. The lake is very shallow with a maximum depth of 5 ft. The Bowstring River enters the lake from Little Sand Lake on the south shore and outlets on the north shore. The lake was undeveloped except for a duck camp on the northwest shore. There was a concrete access on the inlet and a carry down access on the outlet. The lake is known mostly for duck hunting and wild rice harvesting, however, anglers fish for walleye, northern pike, and sunfish in the spring. This survey set 12 trap nets; gill nets were not set due to shallow water. Walleye trap-net catch was 0.6/net and was similar to the average for similar lakes. The last survey was conducted in 1957 and used 12 nets of slightly different construction than were used in this assessment. In that survey the walleye catch rate was 0.4/net. Although walleye were not abundant, size structure was good and fish varied from 18 to 23 inches. Growth was similar to the statewide average with fish averaging 14 inches by age 3. It is likely that the walleye population in Rice Lake fluctuates, with walleye migrating upstream from Little Sand Lake in the spring and moving back downstream as water temperatures increase in summer. The substrate in Rice Lake is entirely muck and walleye natural reproduction is unlikely. Northern pike trap-net catch was 2.3/net and was similar to the catch rate of 1.5/net in 1957. Size structure was poor and no fish larger than 24 inches were sampled. Growth was slow, but greater than 85% of the statewide average with fish averaging 23 inches in six years. Since Rice Lake is shallow, it likely serves as a spawning and nursery area for young northern pike. However, most adult fish are likely to migrate to deeper waters after the spawning season. Bluegill trap-net catch was 2.8/net and was similar to the first quartile of 2.5/net. Bluegill were listed as a species present in the 1957 survey, but there was no mention of how many were sampled. Size structure was good with fish up to 9 inches sampled. Growth was fast, but still within 15% of the lake class average. Bluegill averaged 7.2 inches at age 4. Pumpkinseed sunfish were the most abundant species sampled and had a catch rate of 9.7/trap net. Size structure was good with many fish sampled greater than 7 inches. Yellow perch catch rate was 1.8/trap net and was similar to the expected range. Although not very abundant, yellow perch had good size structure with fish up to 11 inches sampled. Growth was similar to the statewide average with fish averaging 8.8 inches at age 5. Brown bullhead were sampled at 5.8/trap net and were much less than the catch rate of 33.7/trap net sampled in 1957. At one time, Rice Lake was commercially netted for bullheads. Other species sampled include black and yellow bullhead, bowfin, largemouth bass, shorthead and silver redhorse, tadpole madtom, and white sucker.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Pumpkinseed, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Walleye, and Largemouth Bass in Rice. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Rice. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Rice has a maximum depth of 5 feet and a mean depth of 2 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Rice is from 2009. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

Yes — Rice has confirmed zebra mussel. Clean, drain, and dry your equipment to avoid spreading invasives to other waters.