Long Lake Fishing in Cass County, Minnesota

• Overview

  You will find Long Lake in Cass County, Minnesota. What surrounds it is pine and birch. At about 113 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Roughly 2.8 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. East Gull Lake sits 4.6 miles from the bank. For a city, Minneapolis is 114 miles off. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Cass County, recorded fish include largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill and walleye. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Long Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 7°F to 69°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid April. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. It holds true on Long Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Pillsbury State Forest covers ground next to the water; its rules will apply on that side. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Dead Horse Lake, 0.8 miles out. Where Long Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.