Porter Lake

Porter Lake is a lake in Apache County, Arizona and covers about 14.6 acres, reaches about 15 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 87.5 acre-feet.

When working Porter Lake, one weed edge or deeper pocket can hold much of the day’s activity.

Fish and Baits

Fish listed for Porter 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; use the same depth on the next similar feature; keep the bait near useful cover on this 14.6-acre lake.

For bluegill, use a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets; fish isolated cover before a long empty edge; keep the bait near useful cover on this 14.6-acre lake.

For largemouth bass, work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover; save the heaviest tackle for deep cover; keep the bait near useful cover on this 14.6-acre lake.

For channel catfish, fish cut bait or a nightcrawler on the bottom along a channel edge or warm flat; try natural colors in clear water; keep the bait near useful cover on this 14.6-acre lake.

Use this plain plan on Porter Lake: 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

At Porter Lake, use wind as a clue; a light push can carry food toward a bank, but hard wind may muddy it, so look for a clean edge near a point or protected pocket.

Season by Season

At Porter Lake, shallow water is worth a careful look in spring and again during fall; bright summer days favor shade, weeds, or deeper breaks; under ice, a small depth change can be more useful than a long move.

A Simple Tackle Plan

To begin fishing Porter 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.

For the next pass on Porter 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.

Porter Lake FAQs

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

Try the strongest cover, then fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops; give low-light water a slower bottom pass.

What does the 15 feet deepest point mean when fishing Porter Lake?

During the first hour on this water, treat 15 feet as the deepest point, not the automatic fishing depth; start near cover and move deeper only when bites or bait give a reason.

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

Check the downwind corner for food, then move after checking the same useful feature at several depths without finding bait, a clean edge, or a bite; test a point before fishing a featureless bank.