Fishing Pine Lake in Delaware County, New York

• Overview

  Pine Lake lies in Delaware County, New York. Country round the bank runs to lake country bush. It covers about 12 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. 6.9 miles away sits Oneonta, the nearest town. Further out sit West End (8.6 miles) and Delhi (12 miles). Within a short drive: Mud Lake just 2 miles, Mud Lake 3.2 miles away, Emmons Pond just 4.7 miles, Goodyear Lake 5 miles away and Sexsmith Lake just 5.2 miles. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Pine Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Delaware County names brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, white sucker and tessellated darter. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. At Pine Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 67°F and January about 21°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Break-up comes around early April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Expect the water usable from around early April until roughly mid December. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. Plan around that when you fish Pine Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. A parking area is marked roughly half a mile out. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Mud Lake sits 2 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Pine Lake in what we hold.