Long Lake Fishing Guide, Stearns County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Long Lake falls in Stearns County, part of Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,181 feet. With some 28 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. With about 1.0 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Most waters listed here for Stearns County are larger. The nearest place of any size is Collegeville, 3.7 miles away. The nearest city of size is Minneapolis, 68 miles away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name largemouth bass, bluegill and northern pike. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Long Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 71°F and January about 10°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The lid usually goes in early April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The open-water window runs from around early April to about late November in an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It sets the rhythm of the year at Long Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Island Lake at 0.5 miles is the sensible second choice. None of that is settled for Long Lake in what we hold.