Little Long Lake Fishing in Saint Louis County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Out in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, sits Little Long Lake. Around the bank it is mixed forest. Surface area runs to roughly 317 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. With 5.3 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. It is among the larger waters listed here for Saint Louis County. Ely is the closest place, 2.7 miles off. Babbitt lies 16 miles off, Hoyt Lakes another 31 miles. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Little Long Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Public occurrence data for Saint Louis County names yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker and rainbow trout. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. The shape of Little Long Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 65°F, the coldest about 3°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That is the shape of the year on Little Long Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Minister Lake sits 1.4 miles off and takes the overflow. For Little Long Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.