Little Long

Little Long Lake is a 253 acre bass-panfish lake located 16 miles north of Grand Rapids in the Mississippi River watershed. Water quality appears good with clarity in excess of 15 feet. Much of the shoreline is undeveloped and in a natural state. A diverse aquatic plant community provides good habitat for Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie and Bluegill. Northern Pike were sampled within the expected range for similar lakes. Size structure was modest with fish averaging 21.5 inches, and only one fish exceeded 30 inches. Shallow weedy areas in the lake provide good spawning habitat and consistent natural reproduction. Growth of pike was average with individuals approaching 22 inches at age 4. Anglers can help improve the quality of the Northern Pike population by practicing selective harvest of smaller fish, while releasing fish over 24 inches. Releasing these fish can help maintain a more balanced fish community and provide anglers the opportunity to catch more large fish in the future. Largemouth Bass were sampled with spring night electrofishing. The survey showed a moderately abundant population with a favorable size structure. Sampled Largemouth Bass averaged 14.5 inches and 1.8 pounds. The sample had a well-balanced age distribution with many year classes represented. Growth was considered average, with fish averaging 14 inches at age 5. A few Smallmouth Bass were also sampled during night electrofishing, but they did not appear to be very abundant. Anglers targeting Largemouth Bass should find good opportunities on Little Long Lake. Black Crappie were sampled in numbers typical for this lake class and similar to previous surveys. Sampled crappie ranged from 4.9 to 11.3 inches with several different year classes represented. As in many other area lakes, good angling opportunities for crappies may occur periodically when a strong year class reaches a favorable size. Growth was average with crappie exceeding 10 inches after 6 years. The catch rate for Bluegill was within the normal range for similar lakes. Size structure was rather poor; Bluegill averaged 5.6 inches and only two fish exceeded 8 inches. Age analysis indicated consistent recruitment with many year classes represented. Growth was slower than the lake class average with Bluegill exceeding 6 inches after 6 years. Other species sampled in test nets included Golden Shiner, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Rock Bass, Yellow Perch, Walleye and White Sucker.

Little Long Lake is in ecological lake class 25 and is located approximately 15 miles northwest of Grand Rapids, in the Mississippi River Watershed. The lake is 253 acres and has a maximum depth of 61 feet. A survey targeting nearshore fish species was conducted by Area staff on 26 June, 2015. Ten sampling sites (100 feet long) were evenly spaced around the lake shore, sampling a variety of habitat types. Each site is sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-ft or 15-ft 1/8th inch mesh seine, depending on habitat condition. Shoreline seining was conducted at six of the 10 sites; the 15-ft seine was used at four sites and the 50-ft seine used at two. Site conditions prevented the use of seining at four sites, primarily due to muck, excessive vegetation or wood. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 10 sites, although one site was sampled from the boat. Nearshore sampling captured a total of 12 different species; 7 species by seining and 11 species by backpack electrofishing. The species can be found in the gear-specific catch tables in this report. Nearshore catches will be used with the gill net and trap net data from the standard survey conducted on 29 June, 2015, to calculate a fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) score which is indicative of lake health. The surveys will assist the watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Little Long Lake is a relatively small lake of about 253 acres. Due to its shape, habitat present and chemical makeup, it is primarily suited for bass, northern pike and panfish. The lake is low in fertility so is not as productive as some other lakes in the area. Largemouth bass were sampled for the first time using electrofishing during this assessment, so little information exists on their abundance. Bass sampled electrofishing ranged from 5.6 to 19.2 inches long and had a mean length of 12.8 inches. Bluegill abundance was low with a trap-net catch of 9.2/net, however, they were still within the expected range for this type of lake. Generally, with bluegill, lower abundance is better. When bluegill become abundant, the average size typically decreases. Bluegill sampled in trap nets had a mean length of 5.1 inches. Only one black crappie was caught in the trap nets, but they were sampled in gill nets at a rate within the expected range. Black crappie were sampled up to 10.9 inches long. Northern pike were sampled at a rate above the expected range. As is the case with bluegill, generally lower abundance of northern pike produces a better average size. Growth of young northern pike was good, however young fish dominate the population so the mean weight was only 1.7 pounds. Although only five walleye were sampled, this was the highest catch rate observed on Little Long Lake. All the fish were large, ranging from 19.7 to 24.4 inches long with a mean weight of 3.1 pounds. Most were older fish, ranging from 5 to 12 years old. Yellow perch are an important food for northern pike and walleye. Their abundance was within the expected range, but still relatively low. The perch that were sampled had a mean length of 6.2 inches. Other species sampled include; golden shiner, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass, and white sucker. Anglers can promote a healthy fishery by releasing larger fish and only keeping what one needs for a meal. This is especially true with bluegill and northern pike, where the number of larger individuals in a population can control their abundance and therefore the average size of the fish. Also, lakeshore residents can often have the greatest impact on water quality in the lake and usually have the most to gain by protecting the lakes water quality. Poor water quality can affect the fishery as well as other recreational uses. Things that can be done to maintain water quality include; maintaining buffers of natural vegetation along the lake to prevent erosion and to filter out nutrients in run-off, leaving as much aquatic vegetation undisturbed as possible to further filter nutrients and provide fish habitat, preventing lawn clippings or leaves from entering lakes, avoid using fertilizers on lawns or use phosphorus-free fertilizers, and by maintaining a properly functioning septic system. Improved land use practices by everyone will help insure that this fishery can be enjoyed by future generations.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Rock Bass, and Northern Pike 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 61 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

The most recent Minnesota DNR survey data for the main sport fish in Little 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 Little Long in Minnesota DNR data. Always clean, drain, and dry your equipment to help keep it that way.