Little Long

Little Long is an 11-acre lake located eight miles east of the town of Wolf Lake in eastern Becker County. Little Long has a maximum depth of 28 feet. There is a county owned public access located on the southwest shore. Long Lake was formerly managed for trout (rainbow and brown) and was reclaimed with rotenone in 1962 and 1971 to eliminate species such as northern pike, largemouth bass, and sunfish. However, these species reappeared in the lake, causing problems with trout survival. Management for trout was discontinued in 1989. Since then the lake has developed into a warmwater fish community. The lake's small size and low productivity limits the number and sizes of fish the lake can support. Species such as panfish and largemouth bass tend to be small in size and slow-growing. Fish species present in Little Long in the 2010 assessment included northern pike, black crappie, largemouth bass, yellow perch, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and green sunfish. One 22.6 inch northern pike was sampled in the trapnets. Past surveys have sampled low numbers of northern pike with an occasional larger pike sampled. Black crappie and yellow perch abundance was very high compared to past surveys. Black crappie up to 10.9 inches were sampled, however, very few crappie were over 8.0 inches in length. Black crappie growth was very slow when compared to other area lakes. Yellow perch had an average length of 7.6 inches with fish measured up to 10.6 inches. One largemouth bass was sampled (14.2 inches). Past surveys have shown good numbers of bass, but very few fish over 12.0 inches in length have been sampled.

Little Long Lake is an 11-acre lake located eight miles east of the town of Wolf Lake in Becker County. It has a maximum depth of 28 feet. There is a county owned access on the southwest shore. This lake was formerly managed for trout (rainbow and brown) and was reclaimed with rotenone in 1962 and 1971 to eliminate species such as northern pike, largemouth bass, and sunfish. However, these species reappeared in the lake, causing problems with trout survival. Management for trout was discontinued in 1989. Since then the lake has developed a warmwater fish community. The lake's small size and relatively deep basin limit the numbers of fish the lake can support. As a result there is intense competition for food among individuals, and species such as bass and panfish tend to be small and slow-growing. Fish species present in Little Long Lake in the 2000 assessment included black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed sunfish, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and yellow perch. Only one northern pike was seen in test nets, with a length of 29 inches. There was one walleye sampled with a length of 13.4 inches. Bluegill numbers were above the normal range for this lake class, but sizes were small, with a maximum length of 6.5 inches. Good numbers of largemouth bass were seen in trap nets, but none exceeded 10 inches. Three black crappie were sampled in trap nets; all were around 8 inches in length. Black crappie, bluegill, and yellow bullhead were sampled for the first time since the lake reclamation in 1962.

Brown trout population does not appear to be very high for a stream trout lake. The warm water species seem to dominate the fish community.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Brown Trout, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Black Crappie, and Largemouth Bass in Little Long. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

Minnesota DNR records list public access for Little Long. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for the launch type and directions before you go.

Little Long has a maximum depth of 28 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Little Long is from 2010. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

No invasive species are on record for Little Long in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.