If you want steady action and a fish fry at the end of the day, Long Lake's panfish deliver. A 2022 Wisconsin DNR survey found a healthy black crappie population with good size structure and bluegill that compare well to other lakes of its type. Add jumbo perch to the mix and you have a light-tackle playground that is ideal for kids, beginners and anyone who just wants to bend a rod.
Crappie
Black crappie are a Long Lake highlight, with a good catch rate and quality sizes. In spring they push shallow toward warming bays, brush and emerging weeds to spawn — the easiest time to load the bucket. As summer sets in they move to deeper basins, brush piles and weed edges, often suspending. Small minnows under a slip-bobber and tiny jigs or plastics tipped with a waxie are all you need. A sonar or flasher helps you stay on suspended schools.
Bluegill
Long Lake bluegill show good size structure, and they are everywhere fish-friendly cover is. Look for them on weed flats, around docks and over spawning beds in early summer, when the males fan out dark, dinner-plate beds in the shallows. A garden worm or leaf worm under a bobber is the time-tested approach; downsize to a tiny ice jig or fly when they get finicky. Bluegill are the perfect first fish for a young angler.
Yellow perch
Perch roam Long Lake's flats and basins in schools, and the lake is known to give up jumbos. They feed near the bottom, so a small jig or hook tipped with a minnow, worm or perch eye fished just off bottom is hard to beat. Perch stay active right through the ice season, making them a winter favorite. When you find one, you have usually found many, so stay put and keep the bait coming.
Year-round panfish
Panfish are one of the few species you can chase on Long Lake in every season. Open water from spring through fall offers shallow spawning action and deeper summer schools, while winter ice fishing for crappie, bluegill and perch keeps the action going when other species slow down. A Wisconsin fishing license is required; confirm current panfish bag limits with the Wisconsin DNR.
Panfish are perfect for families — book a lakefront cabin with a dock, grab bait, and let the kids reel them in. Check the fishing report and find a spot on the boat launches page.
Panfish FAQ
What panfish are in Long Lake?
Long Lake holds black crappie, bluegill and yellow perch. A 2022 Wisconsin DNR survey rated the crappie population healthy with good size, and bluegill size structure was good compared to similar lakes.
Where do you catch crappie on Long Lake?
In spring, look shallow in warming bays around brush and emerging weeds. In summer, crappie move to deeper basins, brush piles and weed edges and often suspend — a sonar helps. Small minnows and tiny jigs work in both seasons.
Is Long Lake good for kids and beginners?
Absolutely. Panfish are willing biters that take simple worm-and-bobber rigs, making them ideal for young anglers and first-timers, especially around docks and shallow weeds in early summer.
Can you ice fish for panfish here?
Yes — crappie, bluegill and perch are popular winter targets through the ice on Long Lake. See our ice fishing guide, and always check ice conditions and current regulations first.