Updated 26 Oct 2026, 9:42 pm CDT.
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51 lakes · 11,431 acres · 19 with measured depth · 15 with a public access · 15 stocked
Rice County has 51 lakes of 10 acres or more in Minnesota DNR hydrography, 38 of them named, covering 11,431 acres of water. The largest is Cannon Lake at 1,593 acres; the deepest measured is Kelly & Dudley Lake at 60 ft. Minnesota DNR has a measured maximum depth for 19 lakes here. The Census counts 20 square miles of water in the county, 4% of its area.
Lake outlines and acres: Minnesota DNR hydrography (lakes, ponds and reservoirs of 10 acres or more, each counted once: a lake mapped in bays as the whole lake, a border water by its Minnesota side). Depths: Minnesota DNR LakeFinder and lake survey contours, fetched 26 Oct 2026. County line and water area: U.S. Census TIGER. Lake data: Minnesota DNR (General Data and Software License). Not for navigation.
19 lakes in Rice County cover 100 acres or more. The 12 largest are listed here; the full register of 38 named lakes follows.
| Lake | Nearest town | Acres | Deepest | Clarity | Accesses | Last stocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannon Lake | Faribault | 1,593 | 15 ft | 2 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Shields Lake | Lonsdale | 940 | 42 ft | 3 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Cedar Lake | Morristown | 902 | 42 ft | 2 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| French Lake | Faribault | 876 | 56 ft | 2 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Circle Lake | Lonsdale | 838 | 14 ft | 6 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Mazaska Lake | Lonsdale | 688 | 50 ft | 4 ft | 2 | 2025 |
| Wells Lake | Faribault | 677 | 4 ft | 1 ft | 2025 | |
| Roberds Lake | Faribault | 632 | 43 ft | 5 ft | 1 | 2024 |
| Union Lake | Lonsdale | 397 | 10 ft | 2 ft | 1 | 2023 |
| Lower Sakatah Lake | Morristown | 372 | 7 ft | 3 ft | 2025 | |
| Rice Lake | Kilkenny | 331 | 7 ft | 5 ft | 2023 | |
| Caron Lake | Kilkenny | 319 | 4 ft | 1 |
| Lake | Nearest town | Acres | Deepest | Clarity | Accesses | Last stocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannon Lake | Faribault | 1,593 | 15 ft | 2 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Shields Lake | Lonsdale | 940 | 42 ft | 3 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Cedar Lake | Morristown | 902 | 42 ft | 2 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| French Lake | Faribault | 876 | 56 ft | 2 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Circle Lake | Lonsdale | 838 | 14 ft | 6 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Mazaska Lake | Lonsdale | 688 | 50 ft | 4 ft | 2 | 2025 |
| Wells Lake | Faribault | 677 | 4 ft | 1 ft | 2025 | |
| Roberds Lake | Faribault | 632 | 43 ft | 5 ft | 1 | 2024 |
| Union Lake | Lonsdale | 397 | 10 ft | 2 ft | 1 | 2023 |
| Lower Sakatah Lake | Morristown | 372 | 7 ft | 3 ft | 2025 | |
| Rice Lake | Kilkenny | 331 | 7 ft | 5 ft | 2023 | |
| Caron Lake | Kilkenny | 319 | 4 ft | 1 | ||
| Fox Lake | Dundas | 312 | 47 ft | 4 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Phelps Lake | Montgomery | 303 | 8 ft | 1 ft | 1 | |
| Cody Lake | Lonsdale | 259 | 14 ft | 1 ft | 2025 | |
| Kelly & Dudley Lake | Faribault | 192 | 60 ft | 9 ft | ||
| Sprague Lake | Morristown | 179 | 5 ft | 1 | 2025 | |
| Hunt Lake | Kilkenny | 176 | 27 ft | 2 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Mud Lake | Lonsdale | 163 | ||||
| Metogga Lake | Lonsdale | 86 | ||||
| LeMay Lake | Lonsdale | 75 | ||||
| Hatch Lake | Lonsdale | 75 | ||||
| Kelly Lake | Faribault | 64 | 50 ft | 1 | ||
| Pooles Lake | Morristown | 64 | ||||
| Michael Pond | Lonsdale | 49 | ||||
| Faribault Lake | Faribault | 45 | ||||
| Crystal Lake | Faribault | 44 | ||||
| Morristown Pond | Morristown | 36 | ||||
| Goose Lake | Elko New Market | 35 | ||||
| Twin Lake | Lonsdale | 33 | ||||
| Weinberger Lake | Morristown | 33 | ||||
| Wondra Marsh | Montgomery | 29 | ||||
| Willing Lake | Morristown | 28 | ||||
| Twin Lakes | Faribault | 16 | ||||
| Crawford Lake | Morristown | 16 | ||||
| Logue Lake | Lonsdale | 14 | ||||
| Twin Lakes | Faribault | 12 | ||||
| Mud Lake | Dundas | 11 | 1 |
Acres: Minnesota DNR hydrography. Nearest town: U.S. Census 2024 Gazetteer. Deepest: Minnesota DNR LakeFinder (the survey's maximum depth, else the deepest survey contour). Clarity: average measured Secchi depth, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and volunteer readings via LakeFinder. Accesses: Minnesota DNR public water access sites. Stocking: Minnesota DNR stocking reports, by year. Fetched 26 Oct 2026.
2 names belong to more than one lake in Rice County, 4 lakes in all. Each belongs to two lakes. Each lake is listed with its nearest town, the way people search for them.
| Name | Lakes | Which one |
|---|---|---|
| Mud Lake | 2 | near Lonsdale (163 acres); near Dundas (11 acres) |
| Twin Lakes | 2 | near Faribault (16 acres); near Faribault (12 acres) |
Names: USGS GNIS and Minnesota DNR hydrography. Acres: Minnesota DNR hydrography; depth: Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, fetched 26 Oct 2026. Nearest town: U.S. Census 2024 Gazetteer.
4 lakes in Rice County are 50 ft deep or more by Minnesota DNR survey. Kelly & Dudley Lake is the deepest at 60 ft, then French Lake (56 ft), Mazaska Lake (50 ft) and Kelly Lake (50 ft). The other 19 named lakes have no measured depth on record.
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder maximum depths and lake survey contours, fetched 26 Oct 2026.
Clarity is the depth at which a black-and-white Secchi disk disappears from view. 16 lakes in Rice County have measured readings, 45 in all; the middle lake averages 3 ft. The clearest is Kelly & Dudley Lake at about 9 ft, then Circle Lake (6 ft), Roberds Lake (5 ft) and Rice Lake (5 ft). The least clear is Cody Lake at about 1 ft. Clarity is not a test for bacteria or algae toxins.
Average of measured Secchi readings, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and volunteers, via Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, fetched 26 Oct 2026.
Minnesota DNR lists 16 public water access sites on 15 lakes in Rice County; 15 take a boat trailer. The other 23 named lakes have no public access site in the DNR record, so their shores may be private.
| Lake | Site | Run by | Facilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannon Lake | Cannon Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | trailer launch · 2 ramps · concrete ramp · 2 docks · 20 trailer spaces |
| Shields Lake | Shields Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | trailer launch · 2 ramps · concrete ramp · 2 docks · 23 trailer spaces |
| Cedar Lake | Cedar Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | trailer launch · 1 ramp · concrete ramp · 2 docks · 12 trailer spaces |
| French Lake | French Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | trailer launch · 1 ramp · concrete ramp · 1 dock · 17 trailer spaces |
| Circle Lake | Circle Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | trailer launch · 1 ramp · concrete ramp · 1 dock · 20 trailer spaces |
| Mazaska Lake | Mazaska Lake (SW) | Rice County | trailer launch · 1 ramp · concrete ramp · 14 trailer spaces |
| Mazaska Lake | Mazaska Lake (SE) | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | trailer launch · 2 ramps · concrete ramp · 2 docks · 18 trailer spaces |
| Roberds Lake | Roberds Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | trailer launch · 2 ramps · concrete ramp · 2 docks · 26 trailer spaces |
| Union Lake | Union Lake | Rice County | trailer launch · 1 ramp · concrete ramp · 1 dock · 5 trailer spaces |
| Caron Lake | Caron Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | trailer launch · 1 ramp · natural ramp · 6 trailer spaces |
| Fox Lake | Fox Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | trailer launch · 1 ramp · concrete ramp · 1 dock · 7 trailer spaces · restroom |
| Phelps Lake | Cody/Phelps Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | trailer launch · 1 ramp · concrete ramp · 1 dock · 8 trailer spaces |
| Sprague Lake | Sprague Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | trailer launch · 1 ramp · natural ramp · 1 dock · 3 trailer spaces |
| Hunt Lake | Hunt Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | trailer launch · 1 ramp · concrete ramp · 1 dock · 7 trailer spaces |
| Kelly Lake | Dudley-kelly Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | trailer launch · 1 ramp · concrete ramp · 1 dock · 12 trailer spaces |
| Mud Lake near Dundas | Paulson WMA | DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife | carry-in · natural ramp |
Minnesota DNR public water access sites, fetched 26 Oct 2026. The record has no open or closed status.
Minnesota DNR lake surveys have recorded fish in 16 lakes in Rice County: walleye in 12, northern pike in 14, largemouth bass in 14 and muskellunge in 2. Minnesota DNR stocking reports list 15 lakes stocked here between 2016 and 2025, 127 stockings in all. Walleye went into 15 lakes. In 2025, the latest year on record, 12 lakes were stocked.
| Game fish | Lakes | Largest lakes where recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 12 | Cannon Lake · Shields Lake · Cedar Lake · French Lake · Circle Lake and 7 more |
| Northern pike | 14 | Cannon Lake · Shields Lake · Cedar Lake · French Lake · Circle Lake and 9 more |
| Muskellunge | 2 | French Lake · Roberds Lake |
| Largemouth bass | 14 | Cannon Lake · Shields Lake · Cedar Lake · French Lake · Circle Lake and 9 more |
| Black crappie | 15 | Cannon Lake · Shields Lake · Cedar Lake · French Lake · Circle Lake and 10 more |
| Bluegill | 15 | Cannon Lake · Shields Lake · Cedar Lake · French Lake · Circle Lake and 10 more |
| Yellow perch | 15 | Cannon Lake · Shields Lake · Cedar Lake · French Lake · Circle Lake and 10 more |
| Channel catfish | 4 | Cannon Lake · Wells Lake · Roberds Lake · Lower Sakatah Lake |
| White crappie | 5 | Cedar Lake · French Lake · Mazaska Lake · Roberds Lake · Hunt Lake |
| Pumpkinseed | 11 | Cannon Lake · Shields Lake · Cedar Lake · French Lake · Circle Lake and 6 more |
2025: 13 stockings, 3,314,226 fish in 12 lakes.
Species recorded in Minnesota DNR lake surveys (game fish by DNR's own list) and Minnesota DNR stocking reports, which give the year, not the day; via LakeFinder, fetched 26 Oct 2026. How we measure
Minnesota DNR lists at least one invasive species for 10 lakes in Rice County: Eurasian watermilfoil in 7 and flowering rush in 3. Moving water, plants or animals between lakes spreads them; DNR's rules apply at every access.
| Species | Lakes | Largest lakes listed |
|---|---|---|
| Eurasian watermilfoil | 7 | Shields Lake · Cedar Lake · French Lake · Circle Lake · Mazaska Lake · Fox Lake and 1 more |
| Flowering rush | 3 | Cannon Lake · Wells Lake · Sprague Lake |
Minnesota DNR invasive species designations, as listed in LakeFinder, fetched 26 Oct 2026.
5 lakes here have a page of their own, with a depth map drawn from Minnesota DNR survey contours, the stocking record and the latest fish survey.
Chosen by search demand: Google Keyword Planner, October 2026. How we measure
51 lakes of 10 acres or more, 38 of them named, in Minnesota DNR hydrography. Smaller ponds are not counted.
Cannon Lake, at 1,593 acres.
Kelly & Dudley Lake, 60 ft at its deepest point by Minnesota DNR survey.
Kelly & Dudley Lake, with measured Secchi readings averaging about 9 ft.
Minnesota DNR lists public water access sites on Cannon Lake, Shields Lake, Cedar Lake, French Lake, Circle Lake, Mazaska Lake, Roberds Lake, Union Lake and 7 more.
Minnesota DNR surveys have recorded walleye in 12 lakes here, the largest Cannon Lake, Shields Lake, Cedar Lake, French Lake, Circle Lake and Mazaska Lake.