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Lower Prior Lake

Scott County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data

Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 70002600

DNR records show 8 stocking entries at Lower Prior Lake since 2017, most recently walleye fingerlings in 2025 (6,816 fish).

Lower Prior Lake has 8 DNR stocking records across 7 years (2017-2025): walleye (8).
The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 33,422 fish on record.
Maximum depth 60 ft; surface area 956 acres, 373 littoral acres, 14.7 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 12.3 ft.
Fish species DNR lists here: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white bass, white crappie, and 3 more.
1 public access on the DNR list.
Most recent DNR fish survey: September 9, 2025 (targeted survey).
Scott County, nearest town Grainwood; DNR lake number (DOW) 70002600.

Depth map

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Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey mapped 6/2/1976 (orig map); depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.

Stocking history

Year	Species	Size	Number	Pounds
2025	Walleye²	fingerlings	6,816	374.0
2023	Walleye²	fingerlings	11,563	373.0
2022	Walleye²	fingerlings	5,574	371.6
2021	Walleye¹	fingerlings	1,280	128.0
2019	Walleye	fingerlings	4,506	315.6
2019	Walleye	fingerlings	2,658	151.0
2018	Walleye	yearlings	946	145.5
2017	Walleye	yearlings	79	132.0

¹ fish purchased and stocked by private citizens and sporting groups. 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	A multi-lane boat ramp is on the north side of the lake, next to Sand Point Beach

DNR fish survey, 2025

Minnesota DNR Fisheries IBI program staff conducted an assessment of lakeshore habitat on Lower Prior Lake on September 9th 2025, following the Score the Shore survey protocols. The assessment consisted of 119 survey sites evenly spaced 200 meters around the lake. Assessments were made in three habitat zones: Shoreline Zone (the shore-water interface to the top of the natural bank), Shoreland Zone (land-ward from shoreline to development structure or 100 feet), and Aquatic Zone (lake-ward 50 feet of shoreline). The average lakewide habitat score was 43.9 (+/- 2.3) out of 100 possible. A score of 43.9 indicates the lakewide shoreline condition is Very Poor (

Minnesota DNR survey narrative, September 9, 2025.

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.

Lower Prior Lake

Depth map

Stocking history

Public accesses

DNR fish survey, 2025

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