Minnesota · Watonwan County
Long Lake Fishing guide
Long Lake is a 263-acre lake in Watonwan County, Minnesota, reaching 13 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 2.3 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 14 times, most recently in 2023, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
BluegillLast stocked 2023Fair numbers48.6per trap net7"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 505 fish
Recent · 2022Lengths measured · 448 fish
2022Lengths measured · 57 fish
2022Lengths measured · 175 fish
2018Lengths measured · 5 fish
2014Only 5 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
CrappieLast stocked 2023One of the best around38.1per trap net8"Typical10"Biggest
Lengths measured · 600 fish
Recent · 2022 + 2023Lengths measured · 4 fish
2023Only 4 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 580 fish
2022Lengths measured · 16 fish
2022Lengths measured · 603 fish
2018Yellow perchGood numbers10.5per gill net6"Typical7"Biggest
Lengths measured · 47 fish
Recent · 2022 + 2023Lengths measured · 1 fish
2023Only 1 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 31 fish
2022Lengths measured · 15 fish
2022Lengths measured · 407 fish
2018Rates 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
Walleye
- Spring
- Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. In 2.3 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
- Early summer
- Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
- Summer
- Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure. With 100% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows. A 13-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. In 2.3 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
- 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 100% 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. A 13-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Size history
Biggest fish by survey year
| Survey year | Walleye | Largemouth bass | Northern pike |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 7" | — | 30" |
| 2022 | 26" | 16" | 36" |
| 2018 | 24" | 8" | 35" |
| 2017 | 8" | — | — |
| 2014 | 24" | 20" | 31" |
| 2010 | 21" | — | 35" |
| 2006 | 26" | — | 34" |
| 2002 | 23" | 15" | 38" |
Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Walleye · Trolling
Planer Board Spread
4–6" crankbait or a 5–6 ft crawler harness run out to the side on an in-line planer board
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Jigs & bladed
Skirted Casting Jig + Craw Trailer
3.5–4" craw-style trailer on a skirted casting/flipping jig
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Jigs & bladed
Spinnerbait
3/8–1/2 oz safety-pin spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
DNR stocking records
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Stocked |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | 284 adults |
| 2024 | Walleye | 1,278 fingerlings |
| 2023 | Bluegill Sunfish | 675 adults |
| 2023 | Crappie | 105 adults |
| 2023 | Largemouth Bass | 36 adults |
| 2023 | Northern Pike | 497 fingerlings |
| 2023 | Walleye | 128,000 fry |
| 2022 | Northern Pike | 102 adults |
| 2022 | Walleye | 128,000 fry |
| 2021 | Walleye | 128,000 fry |
| 2019 | Walleye | 128,000 fry |
| 2018 | Walleye | 128,000 fry |
Stocking records before 2018 omitted.
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2023 survey
Long Lake is a 264-acre, class 43 lake, located in Watonwan County, approximately 5.5 miles south of the City of St. James. The lake has a maximum depth of 13.0 feet and has a watershed-to-lake-ratio of 6 to 1. The lakes watershed is highly agricultural and much of Long Lake's shoreline has been altered by residential development. In addition to the highly agricultural use surrounding the lake, the association also has a diversion that is used to augment water levels in the lake by pumping water from the Watonwan River to Long Lake on the east end of the lake. Long Lake is managed primarily for walleye and secondarily for black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, and yellow perch.
Long Lake has a troubling recent stretch of history involving serval fish kills. A standard survey was conducted during the week of July 18, 2022 with gill nets and trap nets. Following the survey, there was a fish kill event in September that caused a large amount of Black Crappie to die. While the amount of fish dead was unknown, the estimated number was easily in the thousands. A follow-up survey was done in October with 1 gill net and 3 trap nets in an attempt to determine the extent of the fish kill. Results of that survey indicate that all species are still present, but likely a large percentage of Black Crappie greater than 8 inches likely experienced mortality. Finally, and unfortunately, the winter of 2022-2023 was long and harsh and resulted in many shallow southern Minnesota lakes experiencing winterkill. Long Lake was included in those lakes experiencing winterkill. Another survey was conducted in May 2023 to determine the extent of the winterkill. The survey indicated a partial winterkill that left many undesirable fish species and a lake that needed to be restocked with gamefish.
Read the full DNR narrative
In May 2023, 128,000 Walleye fry (Lower Mississippi Strain from Lake Sarah egg-take) were stocked. An October daytime electrofishing survey confirmed that the Walleye stocking was very successful with 226 6.1 inch age-0 Walleye caught in 30 minutes of electrofishing (452 per hour extrapolation). This is very encouraging as it is the most age-0 Walleye ever documented (stocked or natural) in a single year class for Long Lake. Contingent upon survivability of the fish in Long Lake over the next year or two, Long Lake is well suited for a big bounce back recovery. Minnesota Walleye research shows that age-0 Walleye over 5-6 inches have a very good chance of survival to older ages. Additional Walleye stocking will occur as well as additional fish sampling conducted to verify the recovery of the Walleye in Long Lake.
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 (trailer launch)
- Long Lake Fishing Pier (fishing pier)
DNR bathymetry
Long Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Kansas Lake · 403 ac · 2.6 mi
- St. James Lake · 203 ac · 4.8 mi
- Cedar Lake · 707 ac · 8.8 mi
- Perch Lake · 174 ac · 11.6 mi
- Clam Lake · 71 ac · 11.9 mi
- Big Twin Lake · 461 ac · 12.5 mi
- Mountain Lake · 230 ac · 14.7 mi
- Fox Lake · 951 ac · 15.8 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Long Lake?
Long Lake reaches 13 ft at its deepest point; about 100% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Long Lake?
Long Lake covers 263 acres with about 4.7 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Long Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Long Lake average 2.3 ft of visibility, on the stained end for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Long Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2023) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish.
Is Long Lake stocked?
Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2018.
Does Long Lake have a public access?
Yes. Long Lake has 2 public access sites, including Long Lake (trailer launch).
How big do walleye get in Long Lake?
The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 26"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2002.
When was Long Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Long Lake in 2023, the most recent of 14 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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