Long Lake Fishing Guide, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

• Overview

  Long Lake is one of the Grand Traverse County waters in Michigan. This is lake country bush country. Surface area runs to some 4.6 sq miles, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. Nothing else we list in Grand Traverse County covers more water. The nearest place of any size is Traverse City, 7.1 miles away. Beyond it, Greilickville at 7.1 miles and Kingsley at 14 miles. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Survey and observation records for Grand Traverse County include rock bass, yellow perch, white sucker, smallmouth bass and bluegill. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Long Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 69°F on average, January about 20°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around mid December. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Time your trip to Long Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. You can launch: the ramp is half a mile away. Fishing from a pier is possible half a mile away. There are picnic tables recorded roughly half a mile off. Fox Island Nature Preserve covers this ground, which means extra rules to check. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. If the gate is shut, Mickey Lake at 1.1 miles is the nearest alternative. What applies at Long Lake may have changed since it was mapped.