Long Lake

How big is Long Lake?

How deep is Long Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Long Lake?

What are the closest cities to Long Lake?

Are there boat launches on Long Lake?

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Are there places to eat and drink near Long Lake?

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Long Lake is a small, 120 acres lake with a maximum depth of 35 feet and good water clarity. The secchi disk reading of 11 feet at the end of August is better than average for a lake in central Minnesota. The lake has abundant wild rice which forms a thick band around much of the lake. Two abundant species of submergent vegetation, coontail and canada waterweed, grow down to a depth of 16 feet. Muck and detritus was the most common shoal water substrate in the lake. The public access is on the east side and owned by the township. Parking is limited as the access is narrow and the ramp is sand and gravel. Much of the lake is developed except for the southwest side and north end which are mostly marsh. One change that seems to have occurred since the last survey in 2000 was a significant decrease in northern pike abundance. Northern pike numbers appear to be at the lowest level ever for the lake which could be beneficial. High pike numbers can be detrimental to the entire fish community and especially walleye management. Another positive was an improvement in the size structure in the pike population from the last survey. Three of the northern pike exceeded 24 inches compared to none in the last survey. Neascus was common on the northern pike which may not be appealing to some fishermen. Neascus is a trematode or parasite that usually resides in the skin of the fish. The life cycle of the parasite includes snails and fish-eating birds, such as herons and bitterns. Filleting the fish will usually remove most of the parasites and cooking will kill the rest. Humans can not be infested. Despite stocking by the Long Lake Association, the walleye population has shown no improvement in abundance. The 2006 catch rate was the lowest ever for the lake, but the fish were nice size. If anglers are lucky enough to hook into a walleye, chances are that it will be a nice one as the average size seen in the survey was 21 inches or about 3 pounds. Yellow perch have also been stocked by both the DNR and lake association in an attempt to increase abundance of the perch which could improve northern pike size and survival of the walleye. This strategy has not worked either. The bass population in the lake has remained relatively stable over the years. The average size in spring night electrofishing was about 13 inches or 1.5 pounds with bass up to 18 inches measured. A spring assessment in 2006 targetted the panfish in the lake since they provide an important fishery. These spring nettings tend to exhibit a better picture of the adult bluegill population than the summer surveys do. Long Lakes bluegill population appears to be dominated by small fish as the average size caught in the spring assessment was only 5 inches, however, there were some fish up to 8 inches measured. The black crappie population does not appear to be that impressive based on our sampling as few of the fish in either of the nettings exceeded 9 inches in length. Three other species of panfish in the lake are green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, and pumpkinseed. Two species, brown and yellow, of bullheads were found in the lake with the yellow bullheads being the more abundant. Both bullheads species had quality fish over 12 inches. Bowfin or dogfish are also present. This fish can provide quite a fight for an angler and are known to be efficient predators on small bluegills. Protecting Long Lakes extensive emergent vegetation beds should be a priority of the lake association and lakeshore owners. Not only does the vegetation provide valuable habitat for the fish and wildlife, it also removes excess nutrients from the water and protects the shoreline from erosion. Lakeshore owners are encouraged to keep grass clippings and raked leaves out of the water to reduce nutrients entering the lake. Poorly maintained septics can be a significant source of nutrients to a lake leading to algae blooms and excessive weed growth. Anglers are encouraged to practice selective harvest and return the larger fish of a species to the water to achieve a more balanced fish community. Harvesting small pike can reduce predation on the yellow perch, bass, and juvenile walleye, improving survival of those species.

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Are there any state parks near Long Lake?