Long (main lake)

How big is Long (main lake)?

How deep is Long (main lake)?

What kind of fish can you catch in Long (main lake)?

What are the closest cities to Long (main lake)?

Are there boat launches on Long (main lake)?

Are there places to eat and drink near Long (main lake)?

Long Lake is a 1,273-acre lake located in north-central Otter Tail County. The southwest shoreline of the lake abuts the city of Vergas, MN. Long Lake is composed of two distinct basins. The west basin is characteristic of an oligotrophic lake (i.e., deep and unfertile) while the east basin is characteristic of a mesotrophic lake (i.e., moderately deep and fertile). Several intermittent inlets are located along the north and south shorelines of the lake. An outlet to the Otter Tail River is located along the east shoreline of the lake. The inlets and outlet are not navigable by boat. The immediate watershed is composed primarily of agricultural land interspersed with hardwood woodlots. The maximum depth of Long Lake is 128 feet; however, 42% of the lake is less than 15 feet in depth. The secchi disk reading during the 2015 survey was 18.1 feet. Previous secchi disk readings ranged from 8.0 to 14.0 feet.
Residential development is scattered around the entire shoreline of the lake and composes approximately 30% of the shoreline use. The development consists of homes, cottages, and resorts. Approximately 40% of the shoreline remains undeveloped mixed hardwoods. A DNR owned concrete public water access is located off of Minnesota State Highway 228 along the northwest shoreline of the lake. A city park is located along the west shoreline of the lake. A disabled accessible fishing pier is located in the park and is available for public use. The shoal water substrates consist primarily of sand and gravel. Large stands of hardstem bulrush and common cattail are prevalent around the shoreline of the lake. Emergent aquatic plants such as bulrush and cattail provide valuable fish and wildlife habitat, and are critical for maintaining good water quality. They protect shorelines and lake bottoms, and can actually absorb and break down polluting chemicals. Emergent plants provide spawning areas for fish such as northern pike, largemouth bass, and panfish. They also serve as important nursery areas for all species of fish. Because of their ecological value, emergent plants may not be removed without a DNR permit.
Long Lake can be ecologically classified as a bass-panfish-walleye type of lake and this is reflected in the assemblage of the fish community. Walleye, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, and Bluegill are the dominant gamefish species in the fish community of Long Lake. The prolificacy of these species can be attributed to the abundance of suitable spawning habitat that is available.
Walleyes ranged in length from 7.3 to 20.7 inches with an average length and weight of 15.8 inches and 1.5 pounds. Multiple year classes were represented in the age-class distribution. Walleyes attain an average length of 14.1 inches at four years of age.
Northern Pike ranged in length from 16.8 to 31.1 inches with an average length and weight of 21.4 inches and 2.2 pounds. Age data from recent surveys indicate that Northern Pike reproduction rates are consistently high. Northern Pike exhibit fast growth with an average length of 21.9 inches at four years of age.
Long Lake is a popular lake with Largemouth Bass anglers. Largemouth Bass ranged in length from 10.5 to 15.1 inches with an average length and weight of 12.5 inches and 1.0 pound. Bass attain an average length of 11.9 inches at four years of age.
Recent age data indicate that the extent of Bluegill reproduction occurs on an inconsistent basis, resulting in size structure variability. Only five percent of the Bluegills were 7.0 inches or greater in length compared to 37% in the previous survey. Bluegills attain an average length of 7.4 inches at seven years of age.
Anglers can maintain the quality of fishing by practicing selective harvest. Selective harvest encourages the release of medium to large size fish while allowing the harvest of the more abundant smaller fish for table fare. Releasing the medium to large fish will ensure that the lake will have enough spawning age fish on an annual basis and will provide anglers with more opportunities to catch large fish in the future.

What is the average air temp for Long (main lake)?

Are there any state parks near Long (main lake)?