Prairie Lake fishing: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye

Lake · Minnesota · Gowan, 5.7 mi away

Prairie Lake, Minnesota: Northern Pike. 90.9% of it is 36 feet deep or less. 1 trailer ramp. At least 45 ft deep.

Lake

Surface area: 795 acres1.2 mi²from the mapped waterbody polygon; varies with water level
Maximum depth: 45 ftdeep
Fish species: 14
Access points: 1
Access: open to the public
Nearest town: Gowan5.7 mi

Water claritynow 6.6 ft

Prairie Lake fishing: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye

Target species: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Shorthead Redhorse, White Sucker, Black Crappie, Bluegill
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Prairie Lake Public Water Access Site, 1 lane.

The lake

Prairie Lake covers 795 acres in Minnesota, across St. Louis County. It is a lake: 90.9% of it is 36 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 45 feet (13.7 m). Our records hold 14 species for this water.

7 target fish, led by Northern Pike

Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
Shorthead Redhorse — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
White Sucker — Feeding water: 50–70°F.
Black Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.

Also recorded here: Cisco, Rock Bass, Yellow Perch, Pumpkinseed, Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead.

Edge of the Wilderness - Spectacular Fall Colors on Prairie Lake - NARA - 7718187.jpg — Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided · Public domain

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 45 ft (13.7 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 90.9% of the water is 36 feet or shallower. We hold 45 depth contour lines for this water.

0–3 ft: 4.2% of the water
3–6 ft: 6.5% of the water
6–9 ft: 7.5% of the water
9–12 ft: 7.7% of the water
12–15 ft: 7.2% of the water
15–18 ft: 8.5% of the water
18–21 ft: 11.4% of the water
21–24 ft: 9.8% of the water
24–27 ft: 9.6% of the water
27–30 ft: 6.1% of the water
30–33 ft: 6.3% of the water
33–36 ft: 6.1% of the water
36–39 ft: 5% of the water
39–42 ft: 2.4% of the water
42–45 ft: 1.7% of the water

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp.

Prairie Lake Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.

The place listed has no fee or opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 3.9–6.5 feet on our readings, averaging 5 feet, from 62 readings. Our water temperature readings average 69°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 7.7. These readings span 2016–2025.

Edge of the Wilderness - Astounding Color on Prairie Lake - NARA - 7718230.jpg — Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided · Public domain

What is hard here

Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish.

Where this data comes from

Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: reported depths: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.