Rush Lake (Otter Tail County)
Otter Tail County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 56014100
DNR records show 5 stocking entries at Rush Lake (Otter Tail County) since 2016, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (1,662,000 fish).
- Rush Lake (Otter Tail County) has 5 DNR stocking records across 5 years (2016-2025): walleye (5).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 5,640,480 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 68 ft; surface area 5,276 acres, 3,325 littoral acres, 13.6 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 5.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, lake sturgeon, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 7 more.
- 2 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (standard survey).
- Otter Tail County, nearest town Ottertail; DNR lake number (DOW) 56014100.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 7/18/1956 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 1,662,000 | 14.9 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 1,662,000 | 13.9 |
| 2021 | Walleye | fry | 1,662,000 | 14.6 |
| 2018 | Walleye1 | fry | 650,000 | 5.2 |
| 2016 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 4,480 | 280.0 |
1 fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups.
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 | |
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | Fall electrofishing | 27.38 | 24 | 0.00 |
| Walleye | Standard gill nets | 9.92 | 119 | 0.73 |
| Yellow perch | Standard gill nets | 3.42 | 41 | 0.17 |
| Bluegill | Standard gill nets | 3.08 | 37 | 0.11 |
| White sucker | Standard gill nets | 2.83 | 34 | 1.02 |
| Northern pike | Standard gill nets | 1.33 | 16 | 1.50 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard gill nets | 0.83 | 10 | 0.96 |
| Black crappie | Standard gill nets | 0.67 | 8 | 0.59 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard gill nets | 0.50 | 6 | 0.07 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 9.58 | 115 | 0.24 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.75 | 33 | 0.32 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 1.42 | 17 | 2.24 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 0.58 | 7 | 0.07 |
| Yellow bullhead | Standard trap nets | 0.58 | 7 | 1.18 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.58 | 7 | 0.58 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 6 | 2.78 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 0.50 | 6 | 0.69 |
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.
Rush Lake is 5,337-acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County two miles north of Ottertail, MN. Rush Lake is part of the Otter Tail River Watershed. The Otter Tail River inlet is located along the north shoreline while the outlet is located along the southwest shoreline of the lake. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots and marshes. Rush Lake has a maximum depth of 68 feet; however, 62% of the lake is less than 15 feet in depth. The secchi disk reading during the survey was 9.2 feet. Previous secchi disk readings ranged from 3.5 to 8.0 feet. A majority of the shoreline of Rush Lake has been developed. Homes, cottages, and resorts compose the majority of the development. DNR owned concrete public water accesses are located along the northeast and southwest shorelines of the lake. The shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Large stands of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are located along various shorelines of the lake. Emergent aquatic plants such as hardstem bulrush and cattail provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms and can absorb and break down polluting chemicals. Emergent plants provide spawning areas for fish such as Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and panfish. They also serve as an important nursery area for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit. Rush Lake is a popular angling lake during both the open water and ice fishing seasons. Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, and Bluegill are the dominant gamefish species in the fish community of Rush Lake. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the abundance of suitable spawning habitat that is available. Walleye abundance has increased from previous surveys. Age data indicate that the 2022-year class is strong and should provide excellent Walleye angling for several years. Walleye growth rates are fast with an average length of 15.0 inches at four years of age. Largemouth Bass are extremely abundant, exhibit consistently good reproduction, and possess a quality size structure. Largemouth Bass up to 18.0 inches in length were captured. A high-density Bluegill population exists, with quality fish present as well. Age data indicates that Bluegill recruitment has been consistently good in recent years. Fish ranged in length from 2.4 to 8.7 inches with 57% of the Bluegills measuring 7.0 inches…
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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