Minnesota · Stearns County
Long Lake Fishing guide
Long Lake sits in Stearns County, Minnesota, and covers 153 acres, reaching 46 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 11 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 3 times, most recently in 2010, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 16 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
Largemouth bassFair numbers29.6per hr (electrofishing)12"Typical17"Biggest
Lengths measured · 62 fish
Northern pikeOne of the best around20.8per gill net15"Typical28"Biggest
Lengths measured · 96 fish
BluegillJust a few7.3per trap net5"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 57 fish
CrappieJust a few0.8per trap net9"Typical12"Biggest
Lengths measured · 17 fish
No recent survey rating.
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
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 11 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- 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. On a lake that drops to 46 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. At 11 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- 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. On a lake that drops to 46 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.
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:
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Free Rig
Creature bait or magnum finesse worm
Walleye · Live bait
Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler
jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler
Walleye · Trolling
Leadcore Line + Crankbaits
4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run
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 2010 survey
Long Lake is a recreational lake located near the town of Cold Spring in Stearns County. The lake was first surveyed in 1960. Between 1908 and 1948, Long Lake has been occasionally stocked with pike, bass, crappie, and sunfish. Walleye fingerlings were also stocked in1950. Bullhead were removed in 1965-66.
In 2010, land use in the Long Lake watershed was primarily forest and agricultural. Development around the lake grew from 22 homes or cabins in 1960 to 40 in 2010. In 1969, the El Rancho Manana Resort was established on the southwest shore. In 2010, the resort maintained 120 camp sites and a client-only boat access. No public access is available.
Read the full DNR narrative
The maximum depth of Long Lake was 46 feet and approximately half of the lake was less than 15 feet deep. Dissolved oxygen was sufficient to 19 feet. Water clarity was the highest recorded at 11 feet. The lowest reading was seven feet in 1986. Rooted aquatic plants were present to a depth of 19 feet. The lake was home to many kinds of aquatic plants including muskgrass, cattail, northern milfoil and three kinds of pondweed.
The first electrofishing for largemouth bass was conducted during day-time in 2010. The catch was 1.5 times higher than the average daytime catch for Montrose Area lakes. The largemouth bass collected in 2010 were between seven and 17 inches in length and on average were 12 inches. Growth rates were similar to statewide averages. Fish grew to approximately ten inches in four years.
Black crappie catches have been within statewide averages. In 2010, five black crappie, between five and ten inches, were caught in trap nets. Growth was fast and black crappie reached seven inches by the third year.
Bluegill were caught in numbers below average for similar lakes in 2010. Bluegill were between three and eight inches with average growth rates. Fish grew to six inches in five years.
High numbers of small northern pike were caught in 2010. The fish were between ten and 28 inches, but only one was over 24 inches. Growth rates were average at 19 inches in five years.
One walleye and no yellow perch were caught in Long Lake in 2010. Other species sampled included Iowa, Johnny and least darter; blackchin and blacknose shiner; black and yellow bullhead; bowfin; hybrid, green and pumpkinseed sunfish; tadpole madtom; central mudminnow; brook stickleback; and banded killifish.
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.
DNR bathymetry
Long Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Big Fish Lake · 557 ac · 0.8 mi
- Big Watab Lake · 246 ac · 2.3 mi
- Minnie Lake · 27 ac · 2.5 mi
- Koop Lake · 60 ac · 2.5 mi
- Little Watab Lake · 57 ac · 2.5 mi
- Clear Lake · 118 ac · 2.7 mi
- Kalla Lake · 106 ac · 2.9 mi
- Pitts Lake · 114 ac · 3.1 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Long Lake?
Long Lake reaches 46 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 19.3 ft; about 60% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Long Lake?
Long Lake covers 153 acres with about 2.9 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Long Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Long Lake average 11 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Long Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2010) 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.
How big do northern pike get in Long Lake?
The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 28".
When was Long Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Long Lake in 2010, the most recent of 3 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
Page updated .
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