Prior Lake Fishing Reports

[Griggs]

I'm curious as to how the fishing and more specifically the bass fishing has been on Prior this year. I'm moving to Shakopee on Tuesday so I'll probably fish Prior every once and a while. It's been a few years since I've fished it. Thanks!

[TSteich]

I've been out on lower prior numerous times this year so far and so far it has produced some decent bass. the usual bay spots were great in the early part of the season but heavy weed growth and low water levels have really hurt the fishing prospect. have caught at least 6+ everytime i've been out there, usually in the 10-12 in range but have had a few hogs as well. white spinner baits have produced as well as plastics. haven't ventured down to upper prior lake yet this year though.

[Griggs]

Thanks TSteich. Nobody else is fishing this lake?

[Pherris]

Just about any weedline in deeper water has been yeilding fish from 8"-20" with the majority in the 12-14 inch range. Soft platics. I also always do well with a top water over the flats in very low light periods. All my fishing has been on lower prior. Good Fishing!!

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Be sure to try the walleye sandwich at Captain Jacks. Had one today and it was wonderful

[Griggs]

Thanks for the info. Ya know that sounds good. I've never stopped to eat on that lake before.

[ConnorMN]

careful out there if you aren't in a bass boat - a few unmarked rocks out there due to the low lake levels... lawns with water pumps running from the lake are still really nice and green though!

[OnAFly]

So is the lake thanks to all the fertalizer

One tip for fishing Prior, get ready for wake boarders at all hours of the day and the don't mind getting close to you.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

So is the lake thanks to all the fertalizer

One tip for fishing Prior, get ready for wake boarders at all hours of the day and the don't mind getting close to you.

Yup. Get the Daredevils ready

[Maximum12]

Headed out this afternoon/evening to try to tie into the bass, haven't been on the lake since last fall, anyone have any recent successes or failures to share with the class? Thanks!

[jigginjim]

when I fish Prior lake I hit 2 areas, docks close to deep water, and deep weed edges. Jigs-plastics have always worked. Smaller is normally better.

[Maximum12]

Thanks Jim, we caught all our fish on docks last year, nothing out on the weedline or in the weeds, for that matter, but we'll definitely give it a go tonight.

[JBMasterAngler]

So I looked at the newer test net survey on prior lake on the lakefinder (2008 survey), upper lake shows a catch of 11 white bass (all between 12 and 19 inches) and lower lake shows a catch of 5 (between 12 and 19 inches). The last survey I seen I believe had maybe 1 or 2 white bass. I've heard a handful of reports here on FM as well about people catching them out there all the time. Have they taken a liking to prior? Are they getting in from the minnesota river or is someone "stocking" them? Anyway, I'm going there in a couple weeks, hopefully I'll hook into a couple

[Carp-fisher]

I used to work with a guy who said his uncle continually stocks white bass in Prior. I guess this guy believes that the entire population is a result of his backyard biology project. Who knows

[Maximum12]

Interesting, hadn't noticed that. We were on Prior a week ago & didn't see any white bass, & I probably would have wondered what the heck it was if I'd have hooked one.

Only largemouth out there for us.

[JBMasterAngler]

White bass are pretty tough to keep alive, even for a short period of time. So I give the guy credit for figuring that part out. But of course I don't condone those actions.

[Smails]

I fish Prior quite a bit and catch a whitey every once in a while. My 7 yr old daughter caught a nice ~ 2 pounder last year by the Marina on Upper PL.

[Black_Bay]

I used to work with a guy who said his uncle continually stocks white bass in Prior. I guess this guy believes that the entire population is a result of his backyard biology project. Who knows

I wonder if he brought a few zebra mussels in with him too.

[JBMasterAngler]

Smails, were you fishing for bass or walleyes when you caught them? I'll be targeting bass when I head down there. Last september was the 1st time I fished prior and I loved it! Making it an annual outing now...would be neat to catch a surprise whitey out of there

[jigginjim]

The white bass could maybe end up being a problem for the lake.

[Johnny_Magellan]

I heard a couple weeks back the DNR was stocking them in several lakes around the metro to satisfy an Asian interest in them. Seems like the Natural word part in DNR gets lost in the translation sometimes when they start transplanting species. Could be a positive? There hasn't been enough people on shore at the Wagon bridge already.

[OnAFly]

Trying to take some pressure off of the crappies in the spring maybe. That bridge gets pounded hard. I'm not sure how any crappies exist in that lake anymore.

[Maximum12]

Hey Johnny, do you complain when they transplant walleyes into lakes they're not native in, too?

Last thing I read about this was that the DNR was thinking about stocking some east metro lakes, mostly in Ramsey County & in smaller lakes, which would make sense. Haven't seen any official word on this in months, though.

[fisherman-andy]

Prior has shown whitebass in the last few surveys over the years. This is not new info. The DNR is not stocking any silvers here for any special reason to accomodate any type of fishing pressure. Also the Crappies population is no shortage. Prior is a panfish factory. Just check the recent lake survey and you will see the numbers are actually at a high. This lake gets pounded by everyone and it continues to produce just fine.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I read that white bass are more subject to health issues than some others and that there is a lake in the Dakotas that has no contaminates in it and that people travel from the cities to fish it.

[Johnny_Magellan]

I haven't seen anyone banking bobbers off the sides of boats in channels fishing for walleyes there, max. More of a "who are you catering to?" thing. And if you've ever read up on the actual success of stocking walleye fry or fingerlings, I guess ya, I'd rather see some of the moneyeffort that's currently used for some of that go into habitat for other game. Good comeback, though?

[hondavxr]

Well I guess you never seen walleye fishing in the Dakotas. Everyone fills shoreline on hot spot channels and loads of boats in the same area. They seem to get along okay there. If people are not poaching I mind my own business, and let them be. How many pannies do you think get taken out every winter since there are shanty cities now on Prior?

[Johnny_Magellan]

Probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 1% of Waconia's ice catch?

[Smails]

JB,

We were targeting crappies with small plastics in < 8 FOW when whitie hit. It was early season though - late April / early May I think.

Good luck!

[Crawlerman]

JJ, I doubt White Bass will ever be a threat to "displacing native fish" in Prior. For a few reasons: One it's one of the largest lakes in the metro, and allready supports a multitude of fish species. Two- I've never seen White Bass become a dominant species, they seem to have problems maintaining numbers even in lakes that they are stocked yearly by the DNR in (much like channel catfish; they remain a MINOR species). And three- I've fished Prior Lake for years and never caught a single one. Looks like the people who have targeted them and actually caught one really had to put some effort into finding them.

Plus, White Bass are not a "harmful" species. If anything, an imbalance or over-population of Northerns and Muskies are among the most devastating preadators to a lake's fish ecology; but no one ever raises a brow to that because they are "game fish".

If they found Grass Carp or Ruffe in Prior; I may be a little more worried...