Little Long Lake in Branch County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Branch County, Michigan, you have Little Long Lake. Elevation runs to 935 feet. Small at around 4 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. On size it sits at the modest end of our Branch County list. Coldwater at 2.7 miles is the nearest place to stop. Quincy follows at 8.6 miles, then Bronson at 8.9 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Little Long Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Branch County records list bluegill, largemouth bass and yellow perch among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Little Long Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 22°F and July at about 71°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late March. Break-up near late March, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Little Long Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Boats go in at Messenger Lake Boat Launch, roughly half a mile from the water. A pier half a mile from here gives a platform over deeper water. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, West Long Lake at 0.3 miles is the nearest alternative. None of that is settled for Little Long Lake in what we hold.