Fishing Little Pine Lake in Herkimer County, New York

• Overview

  Little Pine Lake is one of the Herkimer County waters in New York. It stands 1,522 feet above sea level. At 12 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Some 17 miles away sits Boonville, the nearest settlement. Syracuse sits 66 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Little Pine Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Public occurrence data for Herkimer County names white sucker, yellow perch, brook trout, brown bullhead and brown trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Little Pine Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 65°F; by January the average is down near 14°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid April until roughly early December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Little Pine Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Mudhole Pond, 0.4 miles away. Where Little Pine Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.