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Fishing Lower Pine Lake: what the data says
79-acre lake near Hardin County. Iowa DNR survey water. The lake tops out around 16 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lower Pine Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. They move out to 5 to 16 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Lower Pine Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Crappie fishing at Lower Pine Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 5 to 16 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 16 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 15 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Lower Pine Lake
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 5 to 16 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 16 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 15 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lower Pine Lake
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 5 to 16 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | midday |
Walleye fishing at Lower Pine Lake
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 16 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 16 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 15 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 5 to 16 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 16 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 5 to 16 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 15 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 4 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lower Pine Lake?
Lower Pine Lake is about 16 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Lower Pine Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, yellow perch on Lower Pine Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lower Pine Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lower Pine Lake?
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Upper Pine Lake · Union Grove Lake · Beeds Lake · Hickory Grove Lake · Green Castle Lake · Little Wall Lake
See how Lower Pine Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Iowa · best walleye lakes in Iowa · best crappie lakes in Iowa · best bluegill lakes in Iowa
Browse all Iowa fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.