Note: this is from a few days of fishing in May 2024 so far. So your experience may vary.
Fishing Pine Lake
Located in Sammamish just 20 minutes from Redmond, Pine Lake is a nice spot for a quick trip to get your fishing fix in. It is surrounded by conifers and like many other Seattle lakes, encircled by private property.
About the Lake
The only real public fishing spot here is a fairly large dock, which can get crowded at times. It provides a decent access point to deep water — with a good cast, you can pretty easily access 20 count water depth. Casting Powerbait or Micetails towards this deeper water typically yields good results after a trout plant. The regulars have mentioned that very long leaders (5 ft) are important here for catching fish, but I’ve so far been able to catch fish with with my normal 2-3 ft leaders.
I’ve also noticed casting off the sides of the dock, e.g., horizontally to shore, can also do fairly well. I’ve had pretty good success here using a minijig. Seems like people also do ok flicking spoons.
The dock at Pine Lake
If you want to fish from shore, you’re probably out of luck. There are really only two spots that you can cast from the shore, and about 30 feet off the shore there is a substantial weedline, so good luck reeling in a fish.
Notes
Seems like a boat would be really helpful here, but I’m a shoreline angler.
Recommended Gear
For the trout:
Acme Kastmaster, 1/8 oz
One of my favorite lures for trout fishing, very useful for covering a lot of water and finding where the active fish are. It's a very aerodynamic lure that can be casted quite far on light line. I've had the most success on stop-and-go, erratic retrieves. Use gold Kastmasters on sunny days or in murky water. Use silver Kastmasters on cloudy days or clear water. Kastmasters can be somewhat expensive - South Bend also sells
Kastaways which are somewhat cheaper but can't say I've personally used them.
Thomas Buoyant, 1/4 or 1/6 oz
A Kastmaster alternative. It casts a somewhat smaller distance, but the spoon has a slightly different fluttering action that seems to sometimes entice more hits.
See on Amazon
Panther Martin, 1/16 oz
A classic trout spinner. I like a retrieve with many erratic jerks with these spinners, to let the blade flutter as much as possible. Traditionally the gold blade with black body and yellow spots has been the most effective for me, but the other colors should also work.
See on Amazon
Mini jig, 1/16 or 1/32 oz
A small tube that can be twitched in the water to entice wary trout. Keep your rod tip high, and wiggle the lure in the middle of the water column. Can be very effective, especially if you can see the fish. Can be hard to cast far, unless you're using very light line (2 - 4 lb)
See on Amazon
Powerbait
A must-have trout bait. Take a small bit of the dough, and mold it around a size 14-16 treble hook on a sliding sinker rig. Cast the bait out and just let it sit. It can smell kinda bad, so be ready to vigorously clean your hands afterward. I've linked the garlic flavor, but the corn and original scents work just as well. I personally don't think the color matters a whole lot, but some people swear by chartreuse.
See on Amazon
Powerbait Micetails
A less messy version of Powerbait, which is basically a piece of soft plastic infused with the Powerbait flavoring. I prefer the micetails in moving water, as they have a more natural appearance and drift more naturally.
See on Amazon
Disclaimer: the above purchase links are mostly Amazon Affiliate links that help me keep this website running. I use all of the above products every time I go fishing.
