Long Lake

How big is Long Lake?

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What kind of fish can you catch in Long Lake?

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Are there boat launches on Long Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Long Lake?

A population assessment was conducted at Long Lake near Grove City in 2014 to monitor the fish population. A total of five species were sampled in the gill nets and trap nets. A single quarter inch trap net was added to the effort to sample young-of-the-year fish that may have been present. The secchi disk reading was 3.9' in late July, 2014 compared to 0.8' in the 2004 assessment. Long Lake has an extended history of winterkill, with a severe event occurring in 2014. Winterkill assessments in 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014 concluded that partial winterkills, of varying severity, occurred in 2010, 2013, and 2014. This frequency of winterkill, three-out-of-five years (60%), continued to make the management of a sustainable fish population difficult at Long Lake.

Gill nets failed to sample any Northern Pike in 2014. The 2004 catch rate was 5.2/net. Catch rates from 1978 to 2014 (n=5) were highly variable, ranging from 0.0 to 12.0/net with an average of 3.4. Trap nets also failed to sample any Northern Pike in 2014. Historically, recruitment could be classified as low (0-5/net) at Long. It appeared that the Northern Pike population significantly winterkilled during the 2013-2014 winter. Two sources of brood stock were believed to be available to Long Lake following winterkill. The first, Hope Lake to the south, also experienced winterkill in 2014 but netting was not done to evaluate severity. The second, the North Fork of the Crow River by way of Grove Creek, also seemed to have failed to supply fresh adults to the lake. The Long Lake outlet channel appeared to be blocked, by a dense area of cattails, in late July. Observations by Fisheries personnel, over the last 15 years, indicated that spearing Northern Pike had been a popular activity on Long Lake.

Gill nets sampled low numbers of Yellow Perch (1) for a catch rate of 0.2/net, which was below the normal range for a lake of this type. The 2004 catch rate was high (108.2/net). Catch rates from 1978 to 2014 (n=5) were highly variable ranging from 0.0 to 108.2/net with an average of 22.0. The 2014 Yellow Perch was 8.2 inches long.

Trap nets sampled low numbers of Bluegill (7) for a catch rate of 1.2/net which was within the normal range for a lake of this type. The only other time that Bluegill had been sampled previously was when one fish was caught in 2004. Catch rates from 1978 to 2014 (n=6) were all low, as would be expected in a winterkill lake, ranging from 0.0 to 1.2/net, with an average of 0.2. Bluegill were 4.6 to 6.1 inches long with an average of 5.0. These fish were most likely illegally stocked by fishermen following ice-out, as Bluegill are highly susceptible to low oxygen levels. Moving fish from one body of water to another is illegal, for the public, and could spread fish diseases such as viral hemorrhagic septicemia or aquatic invasive species (zebra mussels, spiny water fleas, etc.).

Gill nets and trap nets failed to sample any Largemouth Bass, as did the spring night-time electrofishing/winterkill assessment. This would be expected following a winterkill since Largemouth Bass are another species that is highly susceptible to low oxygen levels. Largemouth Bass (23) were last sampled in hoop nets during the 1947 assessment.

Trap nets and gill nets failed to sample any Common Carp in 2014. Historic gill net catch rates (n=5) from 1978 to 2014 were highly variable, ranging from 0.0 to 87.0/net with an average of 31.2. Historic trap net catch rates (n=6) ranged from 0.0 to 248.1/net with an average of 45.4. High numbers of Common Carp, over the last 35 years, have likely had significant negative impacts on submergent plant abundance and water quality at Long Lake.

Gill nets sampled low numbers of Black Bullhead (2) for a catch rate of 0.3/net, which was below the normal range for a lake of this type and the lowest ever recorded at Long Lake. Historic catch rates from 1978 to 2014 (n=5) were highly variable, ranging from 0.0 to 461.7/net with an average of 185.2. The trap net catch rate (3.5/net) was just within the normal range for this lake type. Trap netted Black Bullhead were 6.3 to 11.3 inches long with an average of 9.5. Black Bullhead were the most abundant fish sampled from the gill nets and trap nets in 2014, as would be expected following a severe winterkill. This species of fish is capable of surviving in lower concentrations of oxygen than most gamefish.

The single quarter inch trap net that was set sampled high numbers (4,060) of Fathead Minnow. Black Bullhead (4) and Bluegill (1) were also sampled with this gear, but no young-of-the-year Northern Pike were captured.

Additional species sampled in the standard gear were two Green Sunfish. High numbers of Eastern Tiger Salamanders (219) were also sampled in the gill nets.

What is the average air temp for Long Lake?

Are there any state parks near Long Lake?