Long Lake Fishing Guide, Cottonwood County, Minnesota

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Long Lake belongs to Cottonwood County. Height above sea level is 1,427 feet. Roughly 128 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. You are looking at roughly 3.7 miles of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. The closest town, Fulda, is 13 miles distant. After that come Windom at 14 miles and Slayton at 19 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Cottonwood County, recorded fish include common carp, walleye, black bullhead and yellow perch. The county list is broader than any single water. Work Long Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 72°F in July and bottom out at 12°F in January. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Break-up comes around early April, and the run that follows is short and strong. The open-water window runs from around early April to about late November in an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Long Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Round Lake, 0.6 miles out. Treat Long Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.