Pine Lake in Houghton County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Pine Lake belongs to Houghton County, Michigan. The country here is mixed forest. It runs to roughly 25 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. 9 miles away sits Atlantic Mine, the nearest town. Hancock is 12 miles and Houghton 12 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Pine Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Reported across Houghton County: rainbow smelt, bloater, cisco and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Pine Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 64°F for July and 14°F for January. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Pine Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Walleye come to jigs worked slow near bottom, and to trolled crankbaits along the drops at dusk. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. For a change of water, Twelvemile Lake is 1.4 miles distant. Nothing here settles the position at Pine Lake for certain.