Pine Lake

Pine Lake in Coconino County is a lake in Arizona and covers about 55.1 acres, reaches about 18.3 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 403.4 acre-feet.

Pine Lake can be broken down in a few passes: shallow cover, the first break, and the deepest useful water.

Fish and Baits

Fish listed for Pine Lake include Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, and Largemouth Bass.

For black crappie, fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops; change retrieve speed before changing lures; let two bites set the useful depth on this 55.1-acre lake.

For bluegill, use a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets; let a light jig fall beside the break; let two bites set the useful depth on this 55.1-acre lake.

For largemouth bass, work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover; write down the productive depth; let two bites set the useful depth on this 55.1-acre lake.

For channel catfish, fish cut bait or a nightcrawler on the bottom along a channel edge or warm flat; slow down after the first bite; let two bites set the useful depth on this 55.1-acre lake.

A direct approach on Pine Lake works like this: other targets listed here include Common Carp; give each one its own bait and depth instead of trying to catch everything with the same rig.

How to Read the Water

Before moving far on Pine Lake, do not let the deepest number control the whole day; nearby cover, firm bottom, and food usually matter more than the deepest hole by itself.

Season by Season

At Pine Lake, spring runoff can add color and pull fish toward fresh water; green weeds and the first drop become stronger summer targets; in fall, follow bait toward points and shallow flats, while winter rewards a slower search.

A Simple Tackle Plan

While learning Pine Lake, a medium spinning rod, 8-pound line, a small box of jigs, a few crankbaits, and a simple bottom rig cover most situations; change depth or speed before changing every piece of tackle.

At Pine Lake, record the wind, water color, productive depth, and cover after a bite; those four notes are more useful on the next trip than a long list of spots that did not produce; let two bites set the useful depth on this 55.1-acre lake.

Pine Lake FAQs

What is a simple way to start fishing for black crappie at Pine Lake?

Keep a bottom rig ready for low light, then fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops; fish isolated cover before a long empty edge.

What does the 18.3 feet deepest point mean when fishing Pine Lake?

Treat 18.3 feet as the deepest point, not the automatic fishing depth; start near cover and shift lower only when bites or bait give a reason.

What is the best reason to change spots at Pine Lake?

Fish the first useful drop, then move after checking the same useful feature at several depths without finding bait, a clean edge, or a bite; work each small drop before going deeper.