Rice Lake (Stearns County)
Stearns County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 73019600
DNR records show 15 stocking entries at Rice Lake (Stearns County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (756,798 fish).
- Rice Lake (Stearns County) has 15 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (15).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 7,510,294 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 41 ft; surface area 1,513 acres, 958 littoral acres, 14.9 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.3 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, golden redhorse, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, and 9 more.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Stearns County, nearest town Paynesville; DNR lake number (DOW) 73019600.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/9/1957 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 756,798 | 7.4 |
| 2024 | Walleye | fry | 499,870 | 5.1 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 1,201,133 | 11.3 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fingerlings | 63,962 | 2,151.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye | fry | 959,635 | 9.1 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 873,169 | 8.4 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fingerlings | 4,571 | 976.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 18,815 | 1,533.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 1,192,288 | 10.6 |
| 2018 | Walleye | yearlings | 7,164 | 2,044.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | adults | 125 | 167.0 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fry | 505,461 | 4.9 |
| 2018 | Walleye | fingerlings | 100 | 6.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 710,362 | 7.8 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 716,841 | 7.0 |
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Access is located in Rice Lake Bay (northwest portion of lake). - Limited parking and turnaround. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | Access is located along the southwest corner of Rice south of the Crow River Inlet/Outlet. - Two Ramps. Adequate parking and turn around. |
| concrete ramp | PRI | Fishers Resort |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 11.00 | 11 | 0.00 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
A targeted fall night electrofishing survey was conducted for young of year "YOY" (fingerling sized) Walleye on Rice Lake during October 22, 2025. A targeted survey is generally used for sampling a specific kind of fish or time of year (i.e. spawning season, fall season, etc.) unlike a standard survey which samples a wider range of fish species during the summer months using standard methodology (i.e. standard time of year, set sampling stations, taking water clarity readings and oxygen/temperature profiles, etc.) and gears (i.e. lake survey gillnets, trapnets and possibly spring electrofishing for Largemouth Bass). The 2025 fall night electrofishing survey was conducted at four stations for a total of 60 minutes. The water temperature was 52 F. Water clarity was poor to moderate. Submergent vegetation densities were light. We observed abundant numbers of Yellow Perch, Largemouth Bass, Sunfish and Brook Silversides. We also saw moderate numbers of Black Crappie, White Sucker and Northern Pike in the 2025 fall night electrofishing survey. Rice is a large (1,513 acres), moderately deep (41 feet), and productive lake located in Stearns County. Rice is a popular lake for angling (Walleye, bass, Bluegill, Black Crappie) and spearing (Northern Pike). Water levels were above normal in 2025. Aquatic vegetation densities are variable in the lake on a yearly basis. An invasive algal species, Starry Stonewort, was found in low densities near the southwest public access during 2016. However, it has currently spread throughout Rice Lake. Presently, Starry Stonewort has spread throughout the Mud Lake Basin and Lake Koronis since it was found in 2015. Zebra Mussels were found in Koronis during 2022. Zebra Mussels are presumed to be in Rice due to their presence further upstream of the North Fork of Crow River in Grove Lake during 2024. Shoalwater substrates are diverse with boulder and rubble areas near points with soft sediments like silt, marl, detritus and sand found in the near shore and bay areas of Rice Lake. Rice Lake is upstream and connects to Lake Koronis via the North Fork of the Crow River. In the past, Walleye from both Rice and Koronis have spawned in the North Fork of the Crow River upstream of Rice Lake. A Walleye egg take station was operated just upstream of Rice Lake in the Crow River from the 1970's to 1992. However, this Walleye spawning run now appears to be considerably reduced. This is based on anecdotal observations of lower opening Walleye fishing activity near the downstream Koronis inlet bay/narrows area especially since the 2000's and…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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