Fishing Upper Prior Lake in Scott County, Minnesota

• Overview

  You will find Upper Prior Lake in Scott County, Minnesota. This is pine and birch country. This is sizeable water at about 424 acres, and a boat opens up most of it. On our Scott County list it sits near the top for size. Start from Prior Lake, 1.2 miles down the road. Then Shakopee, 7 miles, and Savage, 7 miles. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Upper Prior Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Public occurrence data for Scott County names bluegill, largemouth bass and black crappie. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Read Upper Prior Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 72°F, with January the cold end at about 12°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The lid usually goes in early April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The open-water window runs from around early April to about late November in an average year. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. The season on Upper Prior Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Public data records a boat ramp half a mile out. Charlie's on Prior Marina is the mapped marina, about half a mile away. Parking is close: a car park sits half a mile from the bank. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Arctic Lake is 0.7 miles off. Rules at Upper Prior Lake are worth checking on the day.