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Fishing Long Lake: what the data says
2,969-acre lake near Codington County. The lake tops out around 23 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Yellow Perch fishing at Long Lake
Spring yellow perch on Long Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 7 to 23 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 23 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 7 to 23 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 7 to 23 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 7 to 23 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Crappie fishing at Long Lake
Spring crappie on Long Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 7 to 23 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 23 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 7 to 23 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 7 to 23 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Long Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 23 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 7 to 23 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Northern Pike fishing at Long Lake
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Walleye fishing at Long Lake
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 7 to 23 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 23 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 10 ft, rated prime for fall walleye. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 7 to 23 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 7 to 23 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 7 to 23 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Long Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 23 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 7 to 23 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Long Lake also holds brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (7 to 23 ft in summer), white bass (7 to 23 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 20 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 10 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 6.885414577194963 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 3.68602725629398 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2.9971359018359154 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2.9383212961386134 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 2.7678815688567915 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 2.000034698397872 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 1.5728797014507911 ft
Common questions
How deep is Long Lake?
Long Lake is about 23 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Long Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white bass, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, brown bullhead on Long Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Long Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Long Lake?
For yellow perch, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Dry Lake · Grass Lake · Goose Lake · Kampeska Lake · Pelican Lake · Swan Lake
See how Long Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in South Dakota · best smallmouth bass lakes in South Dakota · best walleye lakes in South Dakota · best white bass lakes in South Dakota
Browse all South Dakota fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.