Fishing at Pine Lake, Herkimer County, New York

• Overview

  Out in Herkimer County, New York, sits Pine Lake. The surroundings are pine and birch. It measures about 68 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The bank runs about 1.4 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. It is among the larger waters listed here for Herkimer County. You are 18 miles from Boonville. The big place round here is Syracuse, 68 miles distant. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Pine Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Herkimer County cover white sucker, yellow perch and brook trout. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Pine Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 65°F on average, January about 14°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around early December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Pine Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. For a change of water, East Pine Pond is 0.4 miles distant. Nothing here settles the position at Pine Lake for certain.