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5,970-acre reservoir near Piedra. A deep Kings River canyon lake in the Sierra foothills. Big spotted bass on bluff walls, kokanee trolling in spring. The lake tops out around 429 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
Traced from the shoreline, Pine Flat Lake runs 5,279 acres with 46.6 miles of edge. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 4.6) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. 22% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft), per the model — cover, weeds and forage water. The basin spans about 6.9 mi end to end and 3.9 mi across at its widest. You'll find it in Fresno County. For a second option, Millerton Lake lies 23 mi northwest.
Spring spotted bass on Pine Flat Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 40 ft, and by winter most fish are in 25 to 50 ft. The chart's best answer is Offshore hump — offshore hump, 37 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a drop shot over brush or an underspin + fluke (schoolers).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (5 ft) | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (37 ft) | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (22 ft) | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Offshore hump (37 ft) | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 20 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 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 | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Offshore hump (22 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 45 ft. Top water on the chart: Rock reef, a rock pile in the 5 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (5 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (22 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (22 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Offshore hump (37 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring puts rainbow trout in skinny water — 5 to 20 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 30 ft, wintering in 8 to 40 ft. Spring rainbow trout concentrate at Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (5 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
In spring, kokanee run shallow here, mostly 10 to 30 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 30 to 70 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 80 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for fall kokanee. Time it for early morning. You won't need more than a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (22 ft) | Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (37 ft) | Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn |
| Fall | 5 to 40 ft | dawn | Creek inflow (8 ft) | Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (37 ft) | Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon |
Pine Flat Lake carries 13 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 365 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for California waters are set by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Pine Flat Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official California fishing regulations →
Pine Flat Lake is about 429 ft (131 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target spotted bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, kokanee on Pine Flat Lake.
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: an offshore hump in about 37 ft of water that rates prime for spotted bass in summer. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For spotted 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.
Fishing on Pine Flat Lake is regulated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Check the official California regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Millerton Lake 23 mi · Longley Lake 44 mi · Constance Lake 50 mi · Dorothy Lake 51 mi · Edith Lake 52 mi · Bright Dot Lake 52 mi · Genevieve Lake 52 mi · George Lake 52 mi · Mary Lake 53 mi · Mamie Lake 53 mi · Convict Lake 55 mi · Waugh Reservoir 61 mi
See how Pine Flat Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in California · best smallmouth bass lakes in California · best rainbow trout lakes in California · best kokanee lakes in California
Browse all California fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.