Pine Lake

This Forest County water is Pine Lake, a lake and the physical record currently shows about 1,673 acres and a maximum depth of 15 feet, and that is a much better place to start than pretending every lake fishes the same.

Start with the basics

I would make the first trip about learning the water, not conquering it and I would make the opening plan about one manageable section of the lake instead of trying to cover the whole thing before making the day harder than it needs to be.

What you can fish for

For this exact water, the recorded fish are Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, and Yellow Perch; which is enough for me to plan around weeds, wood, rock, or docks for bass and points, breaks, and wind-pushed edges for walleye, and then let the actual bites decide what comes next.

Keeping the first trip simple

If a buddy asked me how to start on Pine Lake, I would give the easy-to-read cover and depth changes a fair shot before trying anything fancy, then I would check the current Wisconsin rules before the first cast.