Long Lake in Mahnomen County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Long Lake sits in Mahnomen County, out in Minnesota. The water sits 1,447 feet up. Around 108 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. The edge runs 2.6 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Bagley sits 13 miles from the bank. The nearest city of size is Fargo, 67 miles away. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Mahnomen County cover rainbow trout, white sucker and northern pike. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Read Long Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 67°F in July and bottom out at 4°F in January. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Long Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Perch Lake, 1.2 miles out. Ask locally about Long Lake if anything is unclear.