Rush Island Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 31083200
DNR records show 3 stocking entries at Rush Island Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fry in 2021 (99,000 fish).
- Rush Island Lake has 3 DNR stocking records across 3 years (2017-2021): walleye (3).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 307,000 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 32 ft, mean depth 19 ft; surface area 297 acres, 99 littoral acres, 3.3 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 10.2 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, white sucker, and 2 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Itasca County, nearest town Talmoon; DNR lake number (DOW) 31083200.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 99,000 | 1.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fry | 99,000 | 1.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | fry | 109,000 | 1.0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| CA | USF | - North end of the lake near old campground. |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | The state owned access is located off County Road 130. |
DNR fish survey, 2021
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 174.00 | 174 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 7.00 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 4.00 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 1.00 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 26.25 | 35 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 16.50 | 22 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 14.25 | 19 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 6.75 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | Backpack electrofishing | 4.50 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 2.25 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 2.25 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Blacknose shiner | Backpack electrofishing | 0.75 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 4.20 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 4.00 | 20 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 15-ft beach seine | 1.20 | 6 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 0.60 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 15-ft beach seine | 0.60 | 3 | 0.00 |
| BKF | 15-ft beach seine | 0.40 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 15-ft beach seine | 0.20 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Tadpole madtom | 15-ft beach seine | 0.20 | 1 | 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 survey of nearshore fish species in Rush-Island Lake was conducted on August 16, 2021, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 10 sampling stations, but three stations were sampled from the boat due to site conditions. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample one station, a 15-foot seine was used at five stations, and site conditions prevented the use of seines at four stations. Nearshore sampling captured 14 species of fish including four species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter) and no species that are tolerant of disturbance. The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 2021 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. Results from this survey indicate that the fish community in Rush-Island Lake is healthy as indicated by an exceptionally high FIBI score, well above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Big Fork River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
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Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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