Long

Long (Lang) Lake is located 11 miles northwest of Grand Rapids, Minnesota within the Mississippi River Watershed. Long Lake has a total surface area of 48 acres, a littoral area (depth <15ft) of 14 acres (30 %), and a maximum depth of 47 feet. A very diverse aquatic plant community has been identified. The shoreline of Long Lake consists of about 10% tamarack bog located on the very north and south ends and 90% of the shoreline consist of upland hardwoods. The lake is completely undeveloped with the exception of the public access. The public access is located off County Road 19, 0.5 miles west of State Highway 38 and is located on the south bay of Long Lake. Previous surveys were conducted in 1980 and 1991, although only a population assessment was conducted and no management plan was written. The survey in 2015 consisted of 4 gill nets and 6 trap nets which resulted in low species diversity. The fish species sampled were Yellow Perch, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, and Bluegill. The most common fish species sampled in Long Lake were Yellow Perch. The 2015 population assessment resulted in an average catch rate of 13.8 Yellow Perch per gill net. The catch rate was slightly higher than average for a lake of this class. The average size of sampled Yellow Perch was 11 inches with an average weight of 0.6 lbs. Disease sampling was conducted on 22 Yellow Perch. Yellow grub were identified in 15 Yellow Perch while 16 had Neascus (black spot). Yellow Perch come in contact with few predators in Long Lake because of the lack of larger predators, such as Northern Pike and Walleye. The second most abundant fish species sampled in the gill nets was Largemouth Bass. The 2015 population assessment averaged 6.0 Largemouth Bass per gill net. The catch rate was high for a lake of this class. The average size of Largemouth Bass sampled was 10.5 inches with an average weight of 0.5 lbs. Disease sampling was conducted on 19 Largemouth Bass and there were no observed diseases on the fish. No electrofishing was conducted on Long Lake, but the population appears dominated by small fish. Good angling opportunities for Largemouth Bass appear present although average size structure is small. Black Crappie are difficult to sample during the mid-summer months. Mid-summer warm water conditions could affect the number of Black Crappie that are present in the shallow water trap net sets. Black Crappie were not sampled in Long Lake before the 1991 survey year and the catch was low at that time. Only 7 Black Crappie were sampled during the 2015 population assessment with an average length of 9.8 inches. Bluegill were also sampled with trap nets. Only 6 Bluegill were sampled between 6 trap nets. Bluegill averaged 1.0 per trap net which is poor for a lake of this class. The average length of the 6 Bluegill sampled was 6.9 inches. Other species sampled in low abundance were Black Bullhead.

MUE WERE INITIALLY INTRODUCED TO LONG LAKE IN 1968 AND WERE STOCKED AGAIN IN 1970. THIS WAS DONE IN AN ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH A BROOD STOCK POPULATION OF MISSISSIPPI STRAIN FISH. NO MUSKIE WERE CAPTURED DURING THE 1991 SURVEY. THE LAST KNOWN MUE CAPTURED WAS DURING THE 1980 LAKE SURVEY WHEN ONE 34 INCH FISH WAS SAMPLED. IT APPEARS STOCKING HAS FAILED TO ESTABLISH A SELF-SUSTAINING MUSKIE POPULATION. YEP WAS THE ONLY SPECIES SAMPLED WITH CATCH RATES EXCEEDING LAKE CLASS MEDIANS. TEST NETTING INFORMATION FROM 1968, 1976, 1980, AND 1991 INDICATE WIDE FLUCTUATIONS IN PERCH ABUNDANCE. THE 1968 MUSKIE INTRODUCTION APPEARS TO HAVE IMPACTED YEP POPULATIONS. PRIOR TO THE 1968 MUSKIE INTRODUCTION, PERCH CATCH RATES WERE NEARLY TWELVE TIMES (62.0/GILL NET LIFT) GREATER THAN THE LAKE CLASS MEDIAN. PERCH SAMPLED DURING THE 1968 ASSESSMENT HAD A MEDIAN LENGTH OF 10.0 INCHES AND AVERAGED 0.5 POUNDS. SIX YEARS AFTER THE MUSKIE INTRODUCTION, YEP CATCH RATES DROPPED TO 8.5/LIFT AND THE MEDIAN LENGTH FELL TO 6.0 INCHES. PRESENT YEP ABUNDANCE (13.3/LIFT) AND MEDIAN LENGTH (7.0 INCHES) CONTINUE TO REFLECT THE IMPACT OF THE 1968 MUSKIE INTRODUCTION. AS WITH THE YEP, LMB CATCH RATES (8.0/GILL NET LIFT) WERE ALSO MUCH HIGHER PRIOR TO THE MUSKIE INTRODUCTION. THE PRESENT GILL NET CPUE (0.5/LIFT) IS SLIGHTLY BELOW BELOW THE LAKE CLASS MEDIAN. GROWTH RATES WERE NOT DETERMINED FOR LMB. BLG ABUNDANCE WAS ALSO WELL BELOW LAKE CLASS MEDIANS AND HAS NEVER EXCEEDED MEDIAN VALUES IN ANY PREVIOUS ASSESSMENTS. GROWTH DETERMINATIONS WERE NOT MADE FOR BLG.

Perch population is a little high. The other fish population is normal for this type of lake.

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

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

Long has a maximum depth of 47 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Long is from 2015. Surveys this old should be treated with some caution — fish populations change over time.

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