Long Lake Fishing near Bemidji, Minnesota

• Overview

  Look for Long Lake in the Cass County part of Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,309 feet. About 280 acres, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. There is roughly 3.5 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Size puts it in the front rank of our Cass County list. You are 24 miles from Park Rapids. For a city, Fargo is 104 miles off. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  The basin has been measured to about 91 feet. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across Cass County, recorded fish include largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill and walleye. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The near bank of Long Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 68°F, with January the cold end at about 5°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. That shapes the year on Long Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Failing this one, try Stanley Lake, 0.4 miles away. Where Long Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.