Minnesota · Sherburne County
Long Lake Fishing guide
Long Lake is a 174-acre lake in Sherburne County, Minnesota, reaching 26 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 6 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 4 times, most recently in 2007, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 19 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
Largemouth bassOne of the best around115.5per hr (electrofishing)13"Typical20"Biggest
Lengths measured · 57 fish
Northern pikeOne of the best around25.2per gill net21"Typical30"Biggest
Lengths measured · 177 fish
BluegillJust a few15.1per trap net5"Typical7"Biggest
Lengths measured · 168 fish
Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Long Lake through the year
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn.
- Early summer
- Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
- Summer
- Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade. With 83% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth.
- Early summer
- Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
- Summer
- Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. With 83% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Topwater Popper
2.5–3" concave-face popper
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Hollow-Body Frog
3–3.5" hollow-body frog
Northern pike · Hardbaits
Weedless Spoon + Trailer (Silver Minnow)
3/8–1/2 oz weedless spoon
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Walleye · Trolling
Snap Weights + Stickbaits
4–5" suspending or slow-floating stickbait
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2007 survey
Long Lake is connected to Pickerel and Round Lakes and the three are located three miles west of Clear Lake in western Sherburne County. Haven Township owns the access, which is considered carry-in only. The lake is heavily developed. Management has been limited to periodic netting and the last survey was 1989. No stocking has been done.
Curled pondweed was not abundant and grew at or near the surface on 0.5 acres, or less than 1% of the lakes entire surface acres. Twenty species of aquatic plants were noted in Long Lake. Northern milfoil, muskgrass, bushy pondweed, Illinois pondweed and sago pondweed were the most common aquatic plants. Muskgrass was the most abundant submersed aquatic plant and grew out to a depth of 16 feet.
Read the full DNR narrative
Few changes have occurred in the fisheries from 1989 to 2007. Northern pike are still extremely abundant and three times higher than the normal range for this lake class. The average size northern pike is two pounds and anglers can expect to stay busy catching fish at this level of abundance. Forage species such as golden shiners and yellow perch were not abundant.
A primary management species for Long Lake is largemouth bass. Long Lake has an excellent bass population with a wide range of sizes available to anglers including fish up to 20 inches. Little is known about the former condition of the largemouth bass population, as 2007 was the first opportunity to sample the lake with night electrofishing.
Bluegills are abundant in Long Lake, but the black crappie population is low. Few quality size bluegills can be found in Long Lake. Only eight fish larger than seven inches were captured with trap nets; and the average size was about five inches. The bluegills in Long Lake grow slow and reach seven inches in seven years.
Other species sampled during the survey included: brown bullhead, pumpkinseed sunfish, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead and yellow perch.
Maintaining the water quality in Long Lake should be a high priority of the county and landowners around the lake. Some effort may be needed to identify any sources of excess phosphorus and plans developed to reduce these sources. Buffer strips along inlets and lakeshore property will help reduce nutrients entering the lake. Also, maintaining adequate septic systems and keeping grass clippings and raked leaves out of the lake will also help reduce the amount of nutrients entering the lake, thus slowing excess algal and vegetation growth.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Long Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Long Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Long Lake (carry-in)
DNR bathymetry
Long Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Pickerel Lake · 108 ac · 0.6 mi
- Round Lake · 36 ac · 0.8 mi
- Clear Lake · 113 ac · 2.1 mi
- Fuller Lake · 30 ac · 3.2 mi
- Warner Lake · 37 ac · 3.4 mi
- Long Lake · 69 ac · 5.1 mi
- Crooked Lake · 77 ac · 5.6 mi
- Camp Lake · 82 ac · 5.9 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Long Lake?
Long Lake reaches 26 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 10.2 ft; about 83% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Long Lake?
Long Lake covers 174 acres with about 3.4 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Long Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Long Lake average 6 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Long Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2007) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Long Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Long Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Long Lake have a public access?
Yes. Long Lake has one public access site: Long Lake (carry-in).
How big do largemouth bass get in Long Lake?
The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 20".
When was Long Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Long Lake in 2007, the most recent of 4 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
Page updated .
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