Pine Lake

How big is Pine Lake?

How deep is Pine Lake?

What kind of fish can you catch in Pine Lake?

What are the closest cities to Pine Lake?

Are there boat launches on Pine Lake?

Are there places to eat and drink near Pine Lake?

Pine Lake (also known as Trestle-Pine Lake) has been managed for stream trout since at least 1951. From 1988 through 2010 the lake was stocked annually with Splake fingerlings and Rainbow Trout yearlings. Rainbow Trout stocking was discontinued after 2010 to reduce management costs; however, the loss of that fishery was felt by summer anglers, and Rainbow Trout stocking will resume in 2020. This was the first of three standard surveys scheduled in the current (2018) lake management plan to evaluate that renewed stocking, and detemine what effect the accompanying reduction in Splake stocking (beginning in 2019) will have on that population.

Splake appeared to have been abundant in 2018, with many 10-13-inch fish present. The Splake gill net catch in 2018 met the goal from the current plan (a minimum of 5.0 fish/set, with some fish over 16 inches). The catch was similar to those seen in this lake since 1998, and was well within the normal range (5.0-12.0 fish/set) for spring catches in stream trout lakes in this area. The trap net catch was the highest seen to date in this lake, and was above the normal range for this area. Splake collected in all gears in 2018 ranged in length from 6.0 to 18.0 inches, with most in the 10-13-inch length range. Five year classes contributed to the 2018 catch, including a few fish from a 2017 year class that appeared to have been naturally produced. Splake growth appeared to have been slow. Fish reached a mean length of just 10.4 inches at the end of their third year, compared to an area mean of 12.8 inches. Slow Splake growth has been noted in this lake in the past, and may have been due to the high numbers of fish present, and competition for invertebrate forage from White Sucker and Bluegill.

Bluegill numbers were fairly high (for a lake in this area) in 2018, and the survey catch included many that would have been large enough to have been of interest to anglers. Bluegill were first taken in a survey of this lake in 1998. The 2018 trap net catch, while not unusually high for a lake of this type, was high for a stream trout lake (or any lake) in this area. The catch included many larger fish (up to 9.8 inches in length). Seven year classes contributed to the 2018 catch, which included fish as old as nine years. Bluegill growth had been about average for this area, with fish reaching a mean length of 6.9 inches at the end of their fifth year. Reproductive success appeared to have been consistently good, although no year classes stood out as having been exceptionally strong.

The 2018 White Sucker gill net catch was the highest seen in this lake since 1998, and was well above the normal range for spring catches in area stream trout lakes. The White Sucker catch in trap nets was the second highest ever seen in this lake, and was far higher than any catches seen since 1998. White Sucker compete with Splake for invertebrate forage, but are generally too large to be taken as prey by Splake.

A late-summer temperature-oxygen profile measured on 22 August found, at best, only a very narrow zone at a depth of about 15 ft that would have provided conditions considered ideal for Splake (water temperature =< 68 F, dissolved oxygen > 5 ppm). Surface waters were stressfully warm, and deeper waters lacked oxygen. Lakes in the area may already have begun to cool by 22 August, so it is likely that conditions were more stressful earlier in the summer. These conditions may have been another factor in the poor growth exhibited by Splake taken in 2018, even though they apparently did not limit Splake survival. Rainbow Trout can tolerate warmer waters, and should do better than Splake under similar conditions.

Are there any state parks near Pine Lake?