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Pine Lake (Waukesha Co)
Mon Oct 26 – Wed Oct 28, 2026 · Central Time · Largemouth
- Shallow cover, points, creek mouths
- First light (first light CDT) → ~9 AM
- Use any ripple as cover
- Shade lines, docks, deeper edges
- Electronics for bait height first
- Slow down once the sun is overhead
- Revisit shallow shade as sun drops
- Topwater if the surface lays down
- Weekday traffic is lighter — work quiet pockets
Pine Lake bass are in fall transition. Nights in the 40s are cooling the shallows, and smallmouth are moving to points, humps and drop-offs, while largemouth slide to the deep edge of the weeds.
What's on the menu: crayfish, small yellow perch, bluegill and minnows. Match that with crayfish-colored tubes and jigs on the bottom and translucent minnow baits higher in the water.
Walleye · northern pike. Walleye slide shallower at dusk along points; pike patrol the weed edges and hit spinnerbaits and spoons.
Weekday traffic — lighter than the weekend. Fish early, give ramps and swim areas room.
Fixed Dam-controlled water. No shared generation/level feed this cycle — check the agency page the morning you fish; releases and pool levels change daily. Stay outside buoyed restricted zones.
| Item | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Permit / regs | If you don't have a boat, the most practical option is to launch a canoe or kayak, pay the daily launch fee and fish close to shore. | |
| Clarity | Calm, bright and very clear water. | |
Pine Lake has very little public shore access. The Village of Chenequa public launch on County Road K is the only public landing, and village rules say the launch facility can't be used for fishing, so don't fish from the ramp area. The rest of the shoreline is private.
Launch at the Village of Chenequa public launch on County Road K, which is open 6 AM to 10 PM; the daily launch fee is paid in cash or check. Morning are the calmest windows. The south wind blows down the lake and builds chop on the north end, so stay near the shoreline and fish points out of the wind.
Launch at the Village of Chenequa public launch on County Road K, where the daily fee is paid in cash or check. Pull your boat clear of the ramp promptly after launching. Use your electronics to find points, humps and the deep weed edge, where fall smallmouth and largemouth group.
Walking bait over shallow rock and weed flats at first light. Small popper when bass push baitfish up on calm mornings. Topwater usually fades once the sun gets high.
Suspending jerkbait in a natural shad or perch color. Small swimbait on a light jighead along weed edges. Spinnerbait or underspin on the wind-blown points.
Drop-shot with a small minnow-style bait on deep edges. Tube or Ned rig in green pumpkin on gravel and rock. Football jig on deeper points and humps.