Fishing Long Lake in Stearns County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Within Stearns County, Minnesota, you have Long Lake. It sits at 1,194 feet above sea level. Around 150 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. A shoreline of some 2.3 miles keeps the choices simple. Start from Richmond, 5.3 miles down the road. After that come Cold Spring at 5.3 miles and Avon at 6 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Public occurrence data for Stearns County names largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike and walleye. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. On Long Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 71°F, while January sits near 10°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early April. Open water usually runs from early April until about late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Time your trip to Long Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. You can launch: the ramp is half a mile away. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Big Fish Lake sits 0.9 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Long Lake in what we hold.