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Pine Flat Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Kings River water: Pine Flat holds spotted bass and trout in a steep Sierra foothill canyon.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
79 / 83 F
Wind
W 6 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Pine Flat Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings clear skies, wind W around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 83. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Similar at 87 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp79 F
High / Low83 / 62 F
WindW 6-7 mph
Pressure1011.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain2% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:31 / 19:21
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Clear, 83/62 F, wind 7 mph, rain 0%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

The species that matter on Pine Flat Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Pine Flat Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Smallmouth bass
Rainbow trout
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Pine Flat Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 84 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 83 F, wind to 9 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 83 F, wind to 8 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

California requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

California license. Black bass and trout limits per current CDFW rules; mussel inspection required.

Access

Corps ramps at Island Park, Deer Creek and Trimmer; campgrounds around the lake.

About this water

A 5,900-acre Corps reservoir on the Kings River, Fresno County, California, in the Sierra foothills.

Fishing Pine Flat Lake: the full guide

A canyon reservoir

Pine Flat Lake covers about 5,900 acres on the Kings River east of Fresno, a steep-sided Corps reservoir in the Sierra foothills with dramatic level swings between wet and drought years. Spotted bass dominate the rocky structure, joined by largemouth, smallmouth, crappie and, in the cooler months, stocked trout that hold in the deeper water.

Spotted bass

Spots relate to the rock: points, bluff walls and submerged structure hold them year-round, taking drop-shots, shaky heads and small swimbaits. The clear water rewards finesse and low-light periods. When the lake is full, flooded brush in the upper arms holds largemouth for anglers who prefer cover fishing.

Trout and the river

Stocked trout hold the cooler, deeper water and are trolled in winter and spring. Above the lake, the Kings River through the canyon is a trout fishery in its own right, and below the dam the river continues toward Fresno. Water levels dictate everything: drought years shrink the lake dramatically and concentrate fish.

Fresno County logistics

Corps ramps at Island Park, Deer Creek and Trimmer serve the lake, with campgrounds nearby. Fresno is 45 minutes west. Summer heat is severe in the canyon: fish dawn and dusk. Check current elevation before towing, since low water leaves several ramps unusable.

Common questions

What is the main species?

Spotted bass on the rocky structure, with largemouth in the flooded brush when the lake is full.

How much does the level vary?

Dramatically between wet and drought years: check current elevation, as ramps can go unusable.

Are there trout?

Stocked trout hold the cooler deep water in winter and spring, trolled by anglers who fish the cold months.

Is fishing good at Pine Flat Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Shaver Lake22 miMillerton Lake23 miLake Kaweah35 miOwens River62 miLake McClure73 miDon Pedro Reservoir84 mi
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