West Rush Lake
Chisago County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 13006902
DNR records show 15 stocking entries at West Rush Lake since 2016, most recently muskellunge yearlings in 2025 (94 fish).
- West Rush Lake has 15 DNR stocking records across 9 years (2016-2025): walleye (8), muskellunge (7).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 1,689,535 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 42 ft; surface area 1,594 acres, 862 littoral acres, 20.1 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 2.8 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead, common carp, freshwater drum, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, and 4 more.
- 3 public accesses on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Chisago County, nearest town Rush City; DNR lake number (DOW) 13006902.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/9/1971 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Muskellunge | yearlings | 94 | 58.4 |
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 18,938 | 1,114.0 |
| 2024 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 431 | 88.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 3,507 | 167.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 21,942 | 954.0 |
| 2022 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 431 | 43.1 |
| 2021 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 431 | 127.5 |
| 2021 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 39,190 | 1,121.3 |
| 2019 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 493 | 94.8 |
| 2019 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 36,993 | 1,121.0 |
| 2018 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 431 | 81.2 |
| 2017 | Muskellunge | fingerlings | 431 | 86.2 |
| 2017 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 41,477 | 1,121.0 |
| 2016 | Walleye | fry | 1,500,000 | 14.7 |
| 2016 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 27,488 | 1,000.0 |
2 fish purchased by the DNR for stocking.
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 | - West-central side of lake off CR 4. Two cement plank ramps; parking for 30-40 vehicles with trailers. |
| C | Minnesota DNR | - Public access on East Rush; access to West Rush through channel. |
| O | PRI | - Several resorts provide boat launching for a fee. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 576.33 | 5,187 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 50-ft beach seine | 151.56 | 1,364 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 73.56 | 662 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 22.56 | 203 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 9.33 | 84 | 0.00 |
| Spottail shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 7.22 | 65 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 4.56 | 41 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 50-ft beach seine | 3.00 | 27 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 84.60 | 199 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 26.36 | 62 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 17.01 | 40 | 0.00 |
| Central mudminnow | Backpack electrofishing | 13.18 | 31 | 0.00 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 5.10 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | Backpack electrofishing | 5.10 | 12 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 3.83 | 9 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | Backpack electrofishing | 2.98 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 15-ft beach seine | 26.25 | 105 | 0.00 |
| Black crappie | 15-ft beach seine | 17.25 | 69 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 15-ft beach seine | 3.50 | 14 | 0.00 |
| Iowa darter | 15-ft beach seine | 2.75 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 15-ft beach seine | 2.75 | 11 | 0.00 |
| Golden shiner | 15-ft beach seine | 1.25 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 15-ft beach seine | 0.75 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Tadpole madtom | 15-ft beach seine | 0.50 | 2 | 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 the nearshore fish community was conducted by Hinckley fisheries staff on West Rush Lake on August 22, 2025. Nearshore sampling captured 21 species of fish: Banded Kilifish, Black Crappie, Blacknose Shiner, Bluegill, Brown Bullhead, Central Mudminnow, Common Carp, Fathead Minnow, Golden Shiner, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Iowa Darter, Johnny Darter, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Spottail Shiner, Tadpole Madtom, Yellow Bullhead, and Yellow Perch. The nearshore survey data is combined with standard gill and trap netting survey data from previous West Rush Lake surveys to calculate a Fish IBI (FIBI) score and helps assess aquatic life in West Rush Lake. The FIBI score for West Rush Lake based on this survey is below the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. This survey is contributing to a watershed assessment process in coordination with the MN Pollution Control Agency. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website.
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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