Updates on carp seine statuses and carp locations will be shared here as updates are available. For an overview of some of the carp management work completed in 2020, check out our StoryMap here.
2021 Carp Removal Status:
4/21/2021 Update: The wind was strong and the carp were quick today! While it wasn’t one of the large removals we’ve seen in the past, the effort did make a significant dent in the carp population on Spring Lake. With help from the commercial fishermen and WSB, 148 carp totaling roughly 1,000 pounds were removed and taken to a local spot for composting. 
We’d like to keep the west side of the lake as quiet as possible and allow the commercial netters to do their work in netting the carp without disturbance. Any outside noises could disrupt the overall success of the seine.
Please wait until you receive an email invitation or website notification with an “all clear” before heading out to the seine area which will likely be later this afternoon. If successful, we’ll be taking the carp out of the lake and loading them up on the trucks likely on Saturday or Sunday.
Note that once the hole has been cut in the removal area, orange snow-fencing, yellow flagging, and/or signs will be placed around the area to alert any passerby. For your safety, please use caution around the seine area.
1/28/2021 Update: The Watershed District has partnered with WSB Consultants and planned a common carp removal effort for Friday January 29th in Upper Prior Lake. A large group of carp is located in the narrows near Knotty Oar Marina. The District is continuing to use underwater speakers in coordination with commercial netters to capture the invasive common carp. We are asking residents, onlookers, and folks recreating on the lake to please steer clear of this area so that fishermen and scientists can work without interference until the carp are secured.
Please WAIT to see the action until we give the all clear.
We’d like to keep the northeast side of the lake as quiet as possible and allow the commercial netters to do their work in netting the carp without disturbance. Any outside noises could disrupt the overall success of the seine.
Please wait until you receive an email invitation or website notification with an “all clear” before heading out to the seine area which will likely be later tomorrow afternoon or evening. If successful, we’ll be taking the carp out of the lake and loading them up on the trucks on Sunday.
Note that once the hole has been cut in the removal area, orange snow-fencing, yellow flagging, and/or signs will be placed around the area to alert any passerby. For your safety, please use caution around the seine area.
2020 Carp Removal Status:
The District is currently tracking the radio-tagged carp, focusing attention on Upper Prior Lake and Spring Lake where the carp populations are the highest. The goal is to bring carp populations below levels considered damaging to the lakes (30 kg/ha). Carp removals will occur throughout the year through a variety of means: seines, electrofishing, micro-hauls, trap nets, and box traps.
Winter Removals: Under Ice Seines. In order for a winter seine to take place, there are several factors which must all line up before we can go after the carp. Wintertime is the most advantageous time to remove carp, as they group up tightly under the ice. However, there are several factors that need to be considered before a commercial fishermen is engaged for under-ice removals. Unless all these conditions are met, a seine will not be successful.
Spring & Fall Removals: Open Water Seines & Electrofishing, and Trap Nets. In some years, the PLSLWD may find the carp grouping up in open water conditions in the spring & summer. Underwater speakers and block nets are used to help herd the carp into seine nets for removals. The PLSLWD also takes advantage of carp’s migratory behavior during spawning, setting up trap nets that capture carp trying to move upstream. Electrofishing efforts are also completed as carp move into spawning areas, making them more vulnerable and grouped up for removals.
Summer Removals: Baited Box Traps. Commercial fishermen are only permitted by the DNR to complete seines from the day after Labor Day to the day before fishing opener in May. As such, the summer is when PLSLWD begins to set baited box traps. Carp feed mostly in the summer months and are known to feed on corn. Box traps are set in the lakes, and the carp are baited to these areas with corn for removals.
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Gill Netting Pilot Project
(Updated 3-23-2020)
UPDATE (11 AM) : Ice conditions had deteriorated more than anticipated so we will postpone the gill netting pilot project until after ice-out.
While the COVID-19 pandemic is causing some projects to grind to hault, we’re still trying to keep the cogs turning for carp management and have an exciting update to share! We’ll be completing the first-of-its-kind pilot project with the MnDNR today (3/23/20) to test using gill nets for carp removals.
Tomorrow we will be lining up the first pilot project for gill netting in Upper Prior Lake in coordination with the MnDNR under a special permit. A small group of carp have been congregating on the northern side of Upper Prior Lake. Jeff Reidemann and his crew will use air boats (see photo) to set gill nets in this area. Time to Count the Chickens (or rather…carp)!
(Updated 3-6-2020)
The results are in! The Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District is happy to announce that we’ve completed two winter seines so far this year on Upper Prior Lake, one on March 2-3rd and the other one on March 5th. The first one was a success in removing over FIVE TONS of carp from Upper Prior Lake! This was the District’s first time using underwater speakers and block nets to “herd” carp into the removal areas. It worked like a charm and will definitely be a tool we’ll use on future seines.
How did the second seine go? The commercial fishermen had a nice aggregation of carp in the haul area to start with. This was our first time putting the nets into this portion of the lake, and we weren’t sure what to expect. While the fishermen didn’t run into any obstructions on the bottom of the lake like trees and cinderblocks (as we did on Spring Lake earlier this year), they got caught in the mud several times. This forced the fishermen to stop pulling in the nets and go find the snag to release it out of the mud, allowing time for carp to find ways to escape the seine haul. Only 100 pounds of carp were removed from the lake today, but what we learned from this new netting area will make the next attempt in this area more successful! The fishermen are now experienced at netting this area, and if the carp group up here again, we’ll have a game plan to trap them.
Wish I had been there to see it! No problem – we’ve go you covered! Click below to see a video on how both the seine events went.
So what’s next? The District isn’t done removing carp from Upper Prior Lake! We still have many tricks up our sleeve to get the job done including open water seines this spring, box traps, electrofishing removals, and stocking bluegills (to name a few!). Please click here to learn more about the District’s Integrated Pest Management Plan for Carp and ways that you can help.
Carp Removal ROUND TWO on Upper Prior Lake!
(Updated 3-4-2020)
UPPER PRIOR LAKE: The Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District is pleased to announce that we’re taking one more shot a winter carp seine (netting and removal of carp) on Upper Prior Lake TOMORROW! A group of carp has been located congregating near the northwest side of the lake. This area is a little tricky as its near a rocky point, but the District will once again be using underwater speakers to try to keep the carp where we want them while the commercial fishermen work quickly to net them up! This is a relatively novel technique and we are asking residents to please steer clear of this area so that the fishermen and WSB scientists can work without distraction until the carp are netted and secured.
*** Please WAIT to see the action until we give you the all clear! ***
We’d like to keep the northwest side of the lake as quiet as possible and allow the commercial fishermen to do their work in netting the carp without disturbance. Any outside noises could disrupt the overall success of the seine. Please wait until you receive an email invitation or website notification with an “all clear” before heading out to the seine area which will likely be later tomorrow afternoon or evening. If successful, we’ll be taking the carp out of the lake and loading them up on the trucks on Friday morning.
Note that once the hole has been cut in the removal area, orange snow-fencing, yellow flagging, and/or signs will be placed around the area to alert any passerby. For your safety, please use caution around the seine area.
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“All Clear” on Upper Prior Lake!
(Updated 3-2-2020)
UPPER PRIOR LAKE: Through the use of underwater speakers, the District was able to “herd” the carp into the seine nets this morning. The commercial fishermen worked quickly to pull their nets through the ice and have a group of the carp “cribbed up” for the night, ready to be hauled out tomorrow (Tuesday, 3/3). We won’t know the exact amount of carp until they are pulled out of the lake tomorrow morning and weighed. The carp will be placed in live well trucks at the public boat launch and then taken to different markets across the country for sale.
Interested in seeing the carp pulled out -or- volunteering with data sheets or taking photos? Then come join us on the ice tomorrow on the north side of Upper Prior Lake between 8am -10am! We’ll be loading up the trucks with carp to take to market and you are welcome to join us as we celebrate this seining success!
REMINDER: Please use caution when/if driving across the ice, as there are many areas marked with “thin ice” signs from the seine today. For your safety, please use extreme caution around the seine take-out hole area.
Holding down the seine’s weight line… with their feet!
Holding down the seine’s weight line… with their feet!
Mike See helping return the native fish safely back into the lake!
Mike See helping return the native fish safely back into the lake!
Sorting out the carp from the native fish in the seine haul!
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Carp Seine In-Progress on Upper Prior Lake
(Updated 3-2-2020)
UPPER PRIOR LAKE: A winter carp seine (netting and removal of carp) on Upper Prior Lake will be attempted TODAY! A group of carp has been located congregating near the north side of the lake by Knotty Oar Marina. We will be using underwater speakers to “herd” the carp from this area into the seine area towards the west where we successfully removed carp in 2018. This is a relatively novel technique and we are asking residents to please steer clear of this area so that the fishermen and WSB scientists can work without distraction until the carp are netted and secured.
We’d like to keep the north side of the lake as quiet as possible and allow the commercial fishermen to do their work in netting the carp without disturbance. Any outside noises could disrupt the overall success of the seine. Please wait until you receive an email invitation or website notification with an “all clear” before heading out to the seine area which will likely be later this afternoon or evening.
Note that once the hole has been cut in the removal area, orange snow-fencing, yellow flagging, and/or signs will be placed around the area to alert any passerby. For your safety, please use caution around the seine area.
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Game Changer on Spring Lake
(Updated 02-21-2020)
SPRING LAKE: The carp have surprised us all and have moved into a shallow area on the east side of Spring Lake, where the District has seined during open water conditions a few years ago. WSB and District staff are keeping a close eye on the carp and have been in touch with the fishermen to see if a removal is feasible in this area. The last time they pulled a net through this area in open water, they got caught in the mud several times and pulled out some small obstructions. The fishermen are able to pull their nets up and out of the mud during open water conditions during a seine, but this type of scenario can be incredibly more challenging during under-ice conditions. WSB and District staff are working with the fishermen to find the best solution to get the carp out!
UPPER PRIOR LAKE: District staff were out on the ice again earlier today, working to “herd” carp with underwater speakers to the desired seine areas. The carp were located on the northeast side of the lake, to the east of the Mud Lake peninsula, which is too deep/steep for a successful seine. Based on documented research, staff played complex noises (boat motors and white noise) to push the carp north towards the seine area. We are learning more and more about how carp are responding to the noise with the goal of “herding” them into the nets rather than waiting for them to congregate into the perfect seine area on their own. A seine is anticipated for Upper Prior Lake within the next week or two.
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What’s the Plan?
(Updated 02-12-2020)
SPRING LAKE: The commercial fishermen were in for a surprise when they pulled their nets in from Spring Lake on Sunday. The crew found that a tree with cinder blocks had been placed in the east side of the haul area, which eventually snagged the net and prevented it from being able to be advanced. Trees are sometimes placed on lake beds by local fishermen to create fish habitat which is suspected in this case. The crew believe that additional blocks or obstructions were present along this section of the net as it was still heavy and very difficult to move while they were extracting it.
The west side of the net, which originally came all the way through the haul area the day before, became immovable as they were extracting it. The crew was eventually able to dislodge the net and found that 200-300 feet of webbing material had been stripped along the cork line by an unknown object frozen just under the ice. This may have been an object intentionally frozen into the ice or could have floated in after ice on and became stationary.
Based on the presence of these objects, under ice seining will not be possible the remainder of the winter on Spring lake as it would most likely have the same result and train the carp to avoid the net. However, the District has plans to scan the area this spring in open water to locate (and potentially remove) any obstructions to netting in this area.
Carp removal activities are planned for this spring, summer, and fall seasons in Spring Lake. These plans include open water seining, baited box netting, stream trap netting, and electrofishing. In addition, the District is working to stock bluegills (which eat carp eggs) in two upstream spawning areas and will be finishing installation of a carp barrier later this year.
UPPER PRIOR LAKE: District staff and WSB scientists were out on the ice earlier today, working to “herd” carp with underwater speakers to the desired seine areas. The carp were located on the northeast side of the lake, to the east of the Mud Lake peninsula, which is too deep/steep for a successful seine. The scientists played loud, disturbing noises to the north of the island which helped push the carp north towards the seine area on the north end of the lake to the west of Knotty Oar Marina. The District will continue to keep an eye on the carp and are documenting how they respond to the speaker noise. This information is intended to be used to “herd” the carp into the nets if they don’t aggregate in the preferred seine area. We hope to have a seine completed by the end of this month on Upper Prior Lake.
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Live to fish another day: Carp seine cancelled for Sunday
(Updated 02-08-2020)
The commercial fishermen woke up bright and early this Saturday morning and worked incredibly hard in the bitter cold weather to wrap their nets under the ice around a large group of carp. However, they hit a patch of mud that kept snagging their nets and by sundown, had no success pulling their nets through to the other side.
While we are sad to report there will be no carp removals tomorrow, the fishermen will be pulling their nets out and prepping to take out fish another day on Spring Lake later this month. Now that we know the areas that are snagging the nets, the fishermen will be working to avoid those areas and/or trying to pull the nets through them in a different direction.
Here’s a short video of the activities on Saturday: CLICK HERE
We’ll continue updating this site with more information as the next seine gets scheduled!
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Carp removal TENTATIVELY scheduled for Spring Lake! (Updated 02-06-2020)
The Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District is pleased to announce that a winter carp seine (netting and removal of carp) on Spring Lake has tentatively been scheduled for this SUNDAY! A group of carp has been located congregating near the northwest corner of the lake. If conditions remain favorable and the carp remain aggregated at this location, a large hole will be cut into the ice to enable the removal of carp from the lake. We will post updates to this website if the seining is cancelled.
Please WAIT to see the action until we give you the “all clear”!
We’d like to keep the northwest corner of the lake as quiet as possible and allow the commercial fishermen to do their work in netting the carp without disturbance. Any outside noises could disrupt the overall success of the seine. You might see trucks on the ice as they complete their under-ice netting or seine prep as early as Saturday, but please wait until you receive an email invitation or website notification with an “all clear” before heading out to the seine area.
Note that once the hole has been cut in the removal area, orange snow-fencing, yellow flagging, and/or signs will be placed around the area to alert any passerby. For your safety, please use caution around the seine area.
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Status of Winter Seine Requirements: (Updated 1-30-2020)
- Ice Conditions: Ice conditions are questionable for heavy trucks to haul out the carp safely, so other options (e.g. ATVs) are currently being explored.
- Carp Locations: Carp are not currently grouped up in a tight enough aggregation to make a seine successful.
- Temperature: Temperatures have been variable this month, but needs to be warm enough during a seine not to endanger the native fish.
- Commercial Fishermen: Commercial fishermen are available and ready.
- Market: Market is currently available for carp.
For more information visit our carp management program page.
Where are the carp? (Maps updated: 2-10-2020)
SPRING LAKE
Carp on Spring Lake dispersed after the seine attempt on Feb 8. The tags on Spring Lake are often hard to hear until you are really close to the tags and we only located two tags when tracking the carp after the seine. The carp are most likely still in the lake but we were not able to locate them.
Past location maps (Spring Lake): 2-10-2020; 1-30-2020; 1-22-2020; 1-15-2020
UPPER PRIOR LAKE
The carp on Upper Prior Lake are looking promising. The tags are beginning to group up tighter though they are not yet in an area we can seine. Staff were out on 2-12-2020 testing the use of underwater speakers to use sound to drive the carp into a suitable seining location.
Past location maps (Upper Prior Lake): 2-10-2020; 1-30-2020; 1-22-2020; 1-15-2020
Where are the carp? (Map updated: 1-15-2020)
In 2019, 18 carp were tagged with radio-tags, including 9 carp on Upper Prior and 9 carp on Spring Lake. An additional six carp were tagged in 2018 on Upper Prior Lake.
The tags allow the District to track the movements of the carp and identify the areas where the carp congregate. Knowing areas the carp like to gather will permit the District to target these areas for management of the invasive carp. The radio-tag batteries last roughly two to three years before the batteries die and the signal is lost.
Note: Not every tagged carp is able to be located on each tracking visit as a result of site and weather conditions.
Map showing the locations of carp with radiotags. Note: To view the legend click the double arrow in the top left hand corner of the map. To view the attributes of an individual point, click on the point.
2019 Carp Seine Updates:
Update 5-21-19: Over 3,000 pounds of carp removed from Upper Prior Lake!
PLSLWD staff have been keeping an eye on the Arctic Lake outlet this spring, waiting for carp to start crowding tightly into the channel as their natural instinct draws them to travel upstream for spawning. The City of Prior Lake and the PLSLWD placed a barrier at the outlet to Arctic Lake so that they can no longer make their way upstream.
There are a handful of opportunities in springtime where the carp start moving together toward the outlet after a rain event and begin stacking up on top of each other trying to get through the closed outlet. Staff seized the opportunity on May 20th, 2019 when they observed the carp stacking up to throw a net barrier in behind them and trap them in the channel. WSB scientists then used their electrofishing boat to stun the fish, and worked with PLSLWD staff to pull the carp out of the water, loading them onto the boat. The carp haul was then ready to be taken to the Organics Recycling Facility to be turned into compost.
There were a total of 266 carp removed from Upper Prior Lake totaling an estimated 3,600 pounds! This gets us partially to our water quality goal for carp populations levels, with about another 50-60K pounds of removals to go. The work isn’t done yet, and the PLSLWD will be out completing more carp removals this spring and fall!
To watch a video of the carp haul, click here.
Update 4-22-19: FIRST seine of the year COMPLETE!
WHAT’S THE GOOD WORD? The commercial fishermen completed two seine (net capture of carp) efforts on Tuesday and Friday of last week to remove a group of carp that were identified hanging out in Mud/Crystal Bay. They had a successful haul, wrangling up nearly 3 TONS of carp!
WHAT DID THEY DO WITH ALL THE CARP? There are typically two markets where the fishermen take the carp: one is to a market out east (e.g. New York) where the smaller carp are in-demand for tasty dishes, and the other is to commercial game ponds down south (e.g. Carolinas) where the large carp that are wily & fun to catch are in-demand. The fishermen didn’t catch enough large fish to sell down south, so this haul ended up going out to the markets in New York.
IS THAT IT? ARE WE DONE? Not yet! During this last seine effort, we only captured a small percentage of the overall water quality target. We’ll be working with the commercial fishermen to get them back out on the lake later this year to attempt additional carp seines. Check back on this website for more updates on future carp seines -or- subscribe to email updates by contacting Kathryn at kkeller-miller@plslwd.org.
Update 4-19-19 : Find the full update on our News page here.
Update 4-17-19: THIRD time is the charm!
WHAT’S THE STATUS? Unlike the reliable USPS mail service, rain (thunder), sleet and (waist deep) snow WILL stop us from doing a carp seine. The commercial fishermen were ready today with their nets to go after the carp, but the weather did not get the message and released a plenty of thunder & lighting, thwarting today’s seining activities.
ARE THEY DONE TRYING? Nope! The carp are still staying grouped up nicely in Crystal/Mud Bay and the commercial fishermen are going to (tentatively) take another shot at a seine on Friday. The semi truck will be out at the boat launch on Saturday to transport the carp to markets, and we are still crossing our fingers for a good haul.
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP? Please help the carp removal efforts by passing along the message to friends & neighbors that they should continue to keep boats and watercraft out of Crystal/Mud Bay until the carp have been completely removed on Saturday, especially on the southern end where the carp are grouped up.
HOW CAN I GET UPDATES ON THE PROJECT? Email mkarschnia@plslwd.org to be added to our carp seine notification list to receive email updates or keep checking this page for updates. In addition, you can feel free to give us a call at 952-447-9808 if you have any immediate questions or concerns.
Please DO NOT use boats, or recreational watercraft in Mud Bay (Crystal Bay) until the carp have been removed. Any activity or loud noises in this location could scare the carp out of the seine area and make removals less successful or prevent the seine from happening entirely. If you would like to watch the netting and removals, please do so from the public roads or join us at the Upper Prior boat landing later in the week to see the carp get loaded up onto the semi-trailer.
4-16-19 Update: The commercial fishermen worked hard today to pull their nets through the muddy bottom in Crystal Bay (a.k.a. Mud Bay). They ended up netting an estimated 5,000 pounds of carp, but this was a lot less than the 30,000 pound haul they were anticipating. The carp will stay netted at the location overnight until they are ready to be removed from the lake later this week.
Luckily the noise and netting didn’t scare the carp out of the bay and the commercial fishermen would like to take another shot at a seine tomorrow. We’re hoping that the second time is the charm!
4-15-19 Update: A carp seine on Upper Prior Lake has tentatively been scheduled beginning Tuesday, April 16. A group of carp has been located in Mud Bay (a.k.a. Crystal Bay). If conditions remain favorable and the carp remain aggregated at this location, the commercial fishermen will be out on the water with their boats and nets to capture the carp and hold them in this location with their nets until the trucks are lined up and ready to haul them away later in the week.
The District is currently tracking the radio-tagged carp, focusing attention on Upper Prior Lake where the carp population is the highest. The carp population on Spring Lake is currently meeting the target population goal for the lake, consequently this year we are focusing efforts on Upper Prior Lake which still has a much higher carp population well above levels considered damaging to the lake.
In order for a seine to take place, there are several factors which must all line up before we can go after the carp. Unless all these conditions are met we cannot seine. For a successful open water seine, we must meet the same conditions as a winter seine, except that instead of suitable ice cover we need open water conditions.
Status of Open Water Seine Requirements: (Updated 4-15-19)
- Open Water Conditions: Lakes are now ice-out.
- Carp Locations: Carp are currently grouped up in Mud Bay (Crystal Bay).
- Temperature: Temperatures are adequate.
- Commercial Fishermen: Commercial fishermen are tentatively lined up for this week.
- Market: Market is currently available for carp.
For more information visit our carp management program page.