Long Lake Fishing near Sisters, Oregon

• Overview

  Long Lake is a Jefferson County water, Oregon side. The land about it is rolling hill. It covers about 17 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. For supplies, Sisters is 16 miles out. Culver is 30 miles away, with Terrebonne at 31 miles. Other water nearby: Square Lake sits 0.7 miles out, Round Lake lies 1.1 miles on, Booth Lake sits 1.9 miles out, Island Lake lies 1.9 miles on and Little Lake sits 2.1 miles out. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Jefferson County records list rainbow trout, bull trout, smallmouth bass, sockeye salmon and largemouth bass among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Long Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 28°F in January up to 58°F in August. Mild ends to the year keep the season long. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. That shapes the year on Long Lake. A settled week fishes better than a changeable one.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. The car has to stay 0.9 miles away, which shapes how much tackle you bring. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Square Lake sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. The position on Long Lake is worth confirming on the day.