“Give me your gilled, your scaled, your tasty basses, yearning to be dinner.” 

If ever a lake exemplified the freewheeling melting pot that is America, it’s good ‘ol Prior Lake. Touted around these parts as one of the best multi-species lakes in the metro area, Prior Lake is home to loads of six-pound bass and scrappy crappies alike.
 

Since 1978, Prior Lake’s keepers have stocked her solid with walleyes. Today the population’s twice the state average and getting better. If you’re lucky, you might just take home a new ten-pound wall decoration!

Species           Population        Ave. Size
Bass               Excellent          Medium
Northern Pike   Good                Medium
Walleye           Good                Med.to Lge
Crappie            Good                Sm.to Med.
Sunfish            Good                Sm.to Med.

Bass

• Weedle your way. In June, work the 2 to 10 foot depths in the weedy bays. The bay west of Martinson Island is productive when other bays are dry. Also look for any niche, point, or irregularity on the drop-off or weedline.
• Go deep. In the summer, work the points, outside weedlines, sunken islands, and docks next to deep structure.
• Have some candy. On Lower Lake, the best areas are the large body of water between Candy Cone Bay and the main lake; the first bay east of Sand Point Beach; Frost Point; around the islands; and the sunken islands marked with buoys.
• Stay on point. In the fall, go back to the inside weedlines and shallow points. Try the round point and inside turn just above Kneafsey Cove or the west side of Twin Island. Points near entrances to bays are often good transition areas from the main lake in the fall.

Northern Pike 

• Stay sharp. In the early-season, troll the weedlines with sharp breaks (drop-offs). Most of the weedy bass locations also hold northerns.
• Settle for second place. In the summer, work the second break at about 15 feet. Koep’s Bay is a good all-season location. For winter northerns, try the 8 to 14 foot depths around Martinson Island and Sand Point Beach.

Walleye

• Rock out. The rocky areas attract walleyes most of the year. Frost Point and the point off the northeast side of Martinson Island are also all-season hotspots and are known to produce big fish.
• Live it up. Troll the entire shoreline between Sand Point Beach and Martinson Island with live-bait rigs, crankbaits, or jigs tipped with leeches. Give special attention to the weedline in front of the boat launch and the rocky humps in front of Sand Point.
• Switch it up. In spring and fall, fish the 5 to 15 foot depths; in summer and winter, the 10 to 20 foot depths are best.

• Act shallow. Spring sunfish and crappies will be in the shallow, muddy bays; otherwise, look for the warmest water.
• Change the channel. Martinson Island channel and the channel between Upper and Lower Lakes are good spring crappie producers. Summer sunfish are on the weedlines in the bass areas, and crappies are suspended over the rock piles in deeper water.
• Diversify. For winter sunfish and crappies, try the 8 to 12 foot depths in the summer areas and also the deeper holes and flats on the upper portion of the Lower Lake.

This information was provided by John Craig, Gary Lake, and Bud Miller.


© Copyright 2008 Sybil Smith All rights reserved