Spring Lake

How big is Spring Lake?

How deep is Spring Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Spring Lake?

What are the closest cities to Spring Lake?

Are there topographical lake maps available Spring Lake?

We have an topograpical map for online viewing near the top of this page. Lake-Link Pro users can download an print a topograpical map of Spring Lake (.pdf format) along with 2,700 more lake maps. For more information on all the benefits of Lake-Link Pro click here.

Spring Lake

Are there boat launches on Spring Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Spring Lake?

What aquatic invasive species are found in Spring Lake?

Spring Lake is a 592-acre lake with a maximum depth of 37 feet. Spring is located southwest of the City of Prior Lake. Public access is provided by a DNR-owned boat ramp on the southwest side of the lake. Spring is a fertile lake, and in the summertime, dissolved oxygen levels become depleted in deeper water and fish will avoid the area. In 2021, dissolved oxygen was low in depths greater than 16 feet. Eurasian watermilfoil is present in Spring Lake.

Spring is primarily managed for Walleye, and also holds healthy populations of Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Yellow Perch. Management includes Walleye stocking every other year. A Standard Survey including trap nets, gill nets, and boat electrofishing was conducted in 2021 to monitor the fishery.

In 2021, Walleye numbers were high for this area and a broad range of sizes of fish were caught. Lengths were between 11 and 26 inches, and fish were distributed about evenly through the lengths. Spring Lake is one of the better Walleye fisheries in the metro, and anglers could find a good return on their effort here.

Largemouth Bass are present in Spring Lake, however they were sampled in low numbers and of modest size in 2021. Nineteen fish were sampled by nighttime boat electrofishing in the spring, and size ranged between 8 and 16 inches, with an average fish length of 13 inches. Although abundance of bass was low in 2021, the catch was similar to the previous bass survey in 2015, when 35 fish were sampled by boat electrofishing. The bass population in this lake appears stable, at a lower abundance level than other lakes in the area.

Northern Pike were sampled in moderate numbers compared to similar lakes in the area. Average size of Northern Pike was good, with the largest fish measuring over 37 inches. Almost three-quarters of the sampled fish were larger than 24 inches, which makes this population well-suited to the southern-zone pike regulation, allowing harvest of 2 fish greater than 24 inches.

Black Crappie were sampled with gill nets and trap nets, and the catch was high. Average size of fish was on the small side; only 8% of the catch exceeded 8 inches. The high abundance of this population is likely limiting growth as the fish compete with one another for forage.

Bluegill numbers were about average for this area, in 2021, and size was modest. Average length was 5 inches, and only 9% of the sampled fish were larger than 7 inches. Although low water clarity benefits species such as Walleye, Bluegill populations are likely negatively affected by this factor.

Yellow Perch numbers were also about average for this area, and size was small. Yellow Perch are seldom targeted by anglers on Spring, but they are an important prey species for Walleye and Northern Pike.

Other fish species sampled in low abundances were Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Common Carp, Golden Shiner, Green Sunfish, Hybrid sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

What is the average air temp for Spring Lake?