Long

Long Lake is a recreational lake located near the town of Cold Spring in Stearns County. The lake was first surveyed in 1960. Between 1908 and 1948, Long Lake has been occasionally stocked with pike, bass, crappie, and sunfish. Walleye fingerlings were also stocked in1950. Bullhead were removed in 1965-66. In 2010, land use in the Long Lake watershed was primarily forest and agricultural. Development around the lake grew from 22 homes or cabins in 1960 to 40 in 2010. In 1969, the El Rancho Manana Resort was established on the southwest shore. In 2010, the resort maintained 120 camp sites and a client-only boat access. No public access is available. The maximum depth of Long Lake was 46 feet and approximately half of the lake was less than 15 feet deep. Dissolved oxygen was sufficient to 19 feet. Water clarity was the highest recorded at 11 feet. The lowest reading was seven feet in 1986. Rooted aquatic plants were present to a depth of 19 feet. The lake was home to many kinds of aquatic plants including muskgrass, cattail, northern milfoil and three kinds of pondweed. The first electrofishing for largemouth bass was conducted during day-time in 2010. The catch was 1.5 times higher than the average daytime catch for Montrose Area lakes. The largemouth bass collected in 2010 were between seven and 17 inches in length and on average were 12 inches. Growth rates were similar to statewide averages. Fish grew to approximately ten inches in four years. Black crappie catches have been within statewide averages. In 2010, five black crappie, between five and ten inches, were caught in trap nets. Growth was fast and black crappie reached seven inches by the third year. Bluegill were caught in numbers below average for similar lakes in 2010. Bluegill were between three and eight inches with average growth rates. Fish grew to six inches in five years. High numbers of small northern pike were caught in 2010. The fish were between ten and 28 inches, but only one was over 24 inches. Growth rates were average at 19 inches in five years. One walleye and no yellow perch were caught in Long Lake in 2010. Other species sampled included Iowa, Johnny and least darter; blackchin and blacknose shiner; black and yellow bullhead; bowfin; hybrid, green and pumpkinseed sunfish; tadpole madtom; central mudminnow; brook stickleback; and banded killifish.

Long Lake is a 163 acre lake located north of the city of Cold Spring in Stearns County with maximum depth of 46 feet. No public access is available. The Northern Pike catch rate (12.8/gill net) was similar to the 1980 survey (14.5/gill net), and remained above the expected range for lakes similar to Long Lake while maintaining average growth rates. No Walleye have been stocked in Long Lake since 1950 and not surprisingly none were sampled during the survey. Yellow Perch were sampled for the first time at a rate below the expected range indicating a low population present. Bluegill were sampled in trap nets at rate of 30.0/net which is higher than 1980 when 12.0/ net were sampled and above the average for similar lakes. Black Crappie were sampled at a rate of 2.6/trap net compared to 1.3/ trap net in the previous survey, which is average for lakes like Long. Other species sampled in low numbers included: Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, Bowfin (dogfish) hybrid sunfish, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

Long Lake is a 163 acres lake with a maximum depth of 46 feet located near the city of Cold Spring in Stearns County. The lake was first surveyed in 1960. Between 1908 and 1948, Long Lake was occasionally stocked with pike, bass, crappie, and sunfish. Walleye fingerlings were also stocked in1950. No public access is available. Northern Pike population were sampled at a rate of 14.5/gill net which exceeded the expected range of values for similar lakes and was significantly higher than the rate of 3.8/gill net in 1960. No Yellow Perch or Walleye were sampled. Bluegill were sampled at a rate of 12.0/trap net which is less than the rate of 33.7/ trap net observed in 1960. Black Crappie were sampled at a rate of 1.3/ trap net which within the range of expected values for the lake type and more than the 1960 survey when zero were sampled. The Black Bullhead population was low with Brown and Yellow Bullheads only slightly higher. Other species sampled included: Bowfin (dogfish), hybrid sunfish, and Pumpkinseed.

Based on Minnesota DNR survey data, anglers target Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Walleye, and Green Sunfish in Long. See the full species list above for catch rates, size structure, and quality scores.

We don't have a confirmed public access point on record for Long. Check the DNR LakeFinder page for current access details before you go.

Long has a maximum depth of 46 feet and a mean depth of 19.3 feet, per Minnesota DNR data.

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