Long Lake Fishing near Pequot Lakes, Minnesota

• Overview

  Long Lake belongs to Cass County, Minnesota. The setting is pine and birch. It runs to roughly 79 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With about 1.2 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Pequot Lakes at 13 miles is the nearest place to stop. Fargo is the closest city, 106 miles away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. 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. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Fish Long Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 68°F and January near 6°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. From about mid April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Time your trip to Long Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Rat Lake sits 0.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Ask locally about Long Lake if anything is unclear.