Upper Prior Lake
Scott County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 70007200
DNR records show 11 stocking entries at Upper Prior Lake since 2017, most recently northern pike adults in 2025 (1 fish).
- Upper Prior Lake has 11 DNR stocking records across 6 years (2017-2025): walleye (10), northern pike (1).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 20,363 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 50 ft; surface area 386 acres, 329 littoral acres, 6.2 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 3.1 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white bass, and 4 more.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- Scott County, nearest town Grainwood; DNR lake number (DOW) 70007200.
Depth map
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 | Northern Pike | adults | 1 | 5.0 |
| 2025 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 5,264 | 329.0 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 245 | 64.5 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fingerlings | 4,706 | 446.0 |
| 2022 | Walleye2 | fingerlings | 4,917 | 327.8 |
| 2021 | Walleye1 | fingerlings | 780 | 78.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | yearlings | 228 | 60.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 1,800 | 120.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | yearlings | 327 | 86.0 |
| 2019 | Walleye | fingerlings | 2,042 | 116.0 |
| 2017 | Walleye | adults | 54 | 90.0 |
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 | Boat ramp is located on the south side of the lake off of Dewitte Ave. |
DNR fish survey, 2025
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brassy minnow | Backpack electrofishing | 101.06 | 111 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Backpack electrofishing | 30.05 | 33 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | Backpack electrofishing | 18.21 | 20 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | Backpack electrofishing | 10.02 | 11 | 0.00 |
| White sucker | Backpack electrofishing | 9.10 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Green sunfish | Backpack electrofishing | 9.10 | 10 | 0.00 |
| Yellow bullhead | Backpack electrofishing | 3.64 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | Backpack electrofishing | 3.64 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | 50-ft beach seine | 55.60 | 556 | 0.00 |
| Brassy minnow | 50-ft beach seine | 47.90 | 479 | 0.00 |
| Largemouth bass | 50-ft beach seine | 28.00 | 280 | 0.00 |
| White sucker | 50-ft beach seine | 17.60 | 176 | 0.00 |
| Yellow perch | 50-ft beach seine | 6.10 | 61 | 0.00 |
| Johnny darter | 50-ft beach seine | 3.40 | 34 | 0.00 |
| Spotfin shiner | 50-ft beach seine | 2.90 | 29 | 0.00 |
| Pumpkinseed | 50-ft beach seine | 2.10 | 21 | 0.00 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 26.44 | 238 | 0.29 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 2.89 | 26 | 0.29 |
| Pumpkinseed | Standard trap nets | 2.44 | 22 | 0.34 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.11 | 10 | 2.57 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 0.46 |
| Northern pike | Standard trap nets | 0.56 | 5 | 1.99 |
| White sucker | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 2.77 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.22 | 2 | 0.68 |
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 nearshore fish species in Upper Prior Lake was conducted beginning on June 23, 2025, by Lake Biological Monitoring and Assessment (LBMA) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at 10 sampling stations. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample all 10 stations. Nearshore sampling captured 15 species of fish including two species that are intolerant of disturbance (i.e., Iowa Darter and Mimic Shiner) and two that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Black Bullhead and Green sunfish). A concurrent summer trap net survey was also conducted by LBMA Program staff. Nine trap nets were set along the shoreline in locations that encompassed multiple habitat types. Trap net sampling captured 10 species of fish, none that are intolerant of disturbance and one that is tolerant of disturbance (I.e., Black Bullhead). Bluegill comprised a majority of the catch by number and comprised a majority by biomass. The nearshore and trap net were combined with gill net survey conducted during the week of July 29, 2024 to describe the fish community and provide a fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Iowa Darter and Minic Shiner), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead and Green sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website. The survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Lower Minnesota River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency. You can help protect the fish community in Upper Prior Lake by reducing runoff, maintaining natural shorelines, and preventing the spread of invasive species.
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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