Rush-Hen Lake Fishing Guide: Weeds, Depth and a Channel In
How to read Rush-Hen Lake as an angler, using what the Minnesota DNR has documented about its depth, plants and bottom.
Rush-Hen Lake rewards the angler who pays attention. There is no public launch on the lake itself. You arrive by channel from Cross Lake or Lower Whitefish, and once you are there you find a lake with deep water, rich weed growth and a lot of variety packed into 858 acres.
Dreaming of a dock on Rush-Hen? Start on the buyer's page or read the full Rush-Hen Lake guide.
The shape of the water
Rush-Hen covers 858 acres with 14.77 miles of shoreline and reaches 105 feet at its deepest point. About 47 percent of the lake is 15 feet or less. The DNR describes it as about two miles long from west to east and roughly a mile wide on average, with a small, mostly forested island called Big Island of about three acres.
That mix of broad shallows and very deep water is the key to fishing it. Fish have shallow weedy cover to feed in and deep, cool water nearby when summer heats up.
What the DNR plant survey shows
The DNR surveyed Rush-Hen's aquatic plants in the summer of 2010, sampling 558 sites. The findings read like a guide to where fish hide:
- Plants grew as deep as 30 feet, deeper than on many lakes of the chain.
- Vegetation was found at 81 percent of sites from 0 to 30 feet, and at 97 percent of sites 15 feet or shallower.
- The most common plants were coontail, northern watermilfoil, southern naiad, muskgrass and wild celery.
- Emergent and floating-leaf plants such as waterlilies covered about 35 acres in water under nine feet. Wild rice was mapped at about one acre.
- The survey recorded 39 native plant species.
The DNR's sensitive lakeshore report adds that Rush-Hen had more plant species per site than the chain average, and that Rush-Hen and Little Pine had the most unique plant species on the chain. Plant diversity tends to mean diverse cover for fish and the insects and minnows they eat.
Bottom type and where to start
The DNR describes hard bottom, meaning sand, gravel and rubble, along the eastern shore, around the islands and along other exposed shorelines. Softer silt and muck collect in sheltered areas, including small bays. Hard bottom near weed edges and drop-offs is classic walleye and smallmouth territory. Soft, weedy bays are where panfish and largemouth often spend time.
The deep weed line, which here can reach 30 feet, is worth special attention in midsummer.
Regulations and stocking
Rush-Hen is included in the DNR's Whitefish Chain entry for quality sunfish management, which sets a daily sunfish limit of five. The 2026 DNR rule text for special management waters names Rush-Hen in that same entry.
The DNR's 2024 stocking report lists walleye stocking for neighboring Cross Lake Reservoir and Whitefish, with no separate entry for Rush-Hen that year. Because fish move through the connecting channels, the neighboring lakes are part of the picture. For the latest netting results on Rush-Hen itself, check the lake's page on the DNR LakeFinder.
A seasonal approach
- Spring: Start on hard-bottom shorelines and around the islands as water warms.
- Summer: Work the outside weed edge and the deeper weed line, with the deep basin as a fallback on hot days.
- Fall: As plants die back, follow fish toward deeper breaks.
- Winter: Ice anglers target weed edges and bays. Stay well clear of channels, where moving water can keep ice thin.
Getting there and keeping it healthy
Public ramps are on neighboring Whitefish and Cross lakes, and boats reach Rush-Hen through the channels. Invasive species are part of the story here. The DNR designated the whole chain as infested with zebra mussels in 2013. In September 2024, the DNR confirmed starry stonewort, an invasive algae, at a public water access on the channel between Rush Lake, as Rush-Hen is often called, and Whitefish. Clean, drain and dry every time.
Questions
Is there a public launch on Rush-Hen Lake?
Not on the lake itself. Boaters reach Rush-Hen by channel from Cross Lake or Lower Whitefish, where public ramps are available.
How deep is Rush-Hen Lake?
Rush-Hen reaches 105 feet at its deepest, with about 47 percent of the lake at 15 feet or less.
What is the sunfish limit on Rush-Hen?
Five per day, under the DNR's Whitefish Chain quality sunfish regulation.
Keep exploring
Read about living on Rush-Hen Lake, see a year on Rush-Hen, or browse all lake guides.
If a home on fishing water like Rush-Hen is on your list, I would be glad to help you find it. I am David Olson, a broker with 20+ years of experience and a family cabin on the Whitefish Chain in Crosslake. Call or text 218.513.2677, email david@whitefishpropertyfinder.com, or visit the buyer's page.
Sources: Minnesota DNR, Aquatic Vegetation of Rush-Hen Lake (2010); Minnesota DNR, Sensitive Lakeshore Survey, Whitefish Chain (2012); Minnesota DNR quality sunfish initiative; Minnesota DNR special management waters rule (2026); Minnesota DNR 2024 lake stocking report; City of Crosslake, starry stonewort notice; Minnesota DNR news release, July 16, 2013.