Long Lake near Pelican Rapids: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  The Otter Tail County entry here is Long Lake, in Minnesota. The country here is rolling bush. At about 115 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Shoreline comes to about 2.6 miles, small enough to learn in a day. For a base, Pelican Rapids sits 10 miles out. The big place round here is Fargo, 50 miles distant. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Reported across Otter Tail County: largemouth bass, black crappie, walleye and bluegill. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Long Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 69°F, with January the cold end at about 6°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about late November. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Time your trip to Long Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Horseshoe Lake is 0.6 miles off. What applies at Long Lake may have changed since it was mapped.