Eldora is the home of these two little lakes which are located about 30 minutes north of Marshalltown. These are a couple of lakes located within a short drive that can give Marshalltown residents a place to get away and enjoy nature and fishing. Each lake is unique but the fishing is equally good in both.

Lower Pine Lake is the best lake to try if you do not have a boat. It has many different areas along the shore that you can walk to and enjoy some fishing. The most prevalent fish species in this lake is the bluegill. Crappies, catfish, and bass are present too. Lower Pine Lake is typically a pretty clean lake. The water doesn’t get very muddy/dingy unless a large amount of rain gets dumped on the Eldora area. This will require you to use natural looking colored baits. Whether you are fishing are bluegills, crappies or bass most of the time lighter colors will work better. Live bait is also a good idea at this lake. Using a bobber and jig method is my favorite way to catch panfish. A small worm or minnow dangled under a bobber is a hard meal for any panfish to pass up. If you look at the topographical map of Lower Pine Lake, you will quickly see the lake is rather shallow on the west side, and deep along the southeast side. Early in the year, including this month, you will want to focus your efforts on the shallower parts of the lake. All fish species use the shallow sections of lakes this time of year to soak up the sun, feed on insects and crawdads and spawn. Spending the majority of your fishing time in shallow water and around the abundant cover the lake offers will help you catch more fish. After the water warms up consistently past the 65-degree mark, then the deeper side of lake will be more consistent for finding fish. This lake is full of shoreline cover, which makes fishing from the bank a good choice!

Upper Pine Lake is very different from Lower Pine Lake even though they are connected. Upper Pine Lake has minimal shoreline access to bank anglers. It is best to fish this lake from a canoe, kayak, or any boat. There are some areas to fish off the shore, but not very many. You can walk out the dam area on south part of the lake and there are some areas on the west side of the lake too, including several jetties that are close to very deep water. While Lower Pine Lake offers many bluegills to catch, Upper Pine Lake is most populated with crappies. It does have bluegills, catfish, and bass too. There are also a few Northern Pike in both lakes, but catching one is a very rare feat. Fishing tips from Lower Pine Lake are identical to Upper Pine Lake with a little different twist. Upper Pine Lake, once the weather warms up will offer many weeds for the angler to fish on northern part of the lake. I love to fish in and around the weeds, especially with an Optimum Baits Furbit Frog. For the most part you will need a boat/canoe or kayak to reach the weeds but the bass hiding in them make the trip worth while most days. The Furbit Frog is designed to float on top of the water and not puck up any of the weeks. This is the most exciting way to fish for bass that I know of. The bass will explode through the weeds to bite the frog. A huge tip when fishing around or in weeds to always use braided line. This line has no stretch to it and is much stronger than the regular monofilament or fluorocarbon lines. One reason the bass are around and in the weeds is because it is the perfect place for bluegills and crappies to hide too. Don’t be afraid to anchor up near the deepest part of the weeds and offer those tasty panfish a live bait bobber rig.

The Pine Lake State park is a great place to go fishing, however it offers a lot more too. It has campsites, cabins, trails to walk/bike/run on and offers a very tranquil boating experience since no engines can operate on gasoline, electric motors only. The park also offers a large kids playground set and many picnicking areas. A great little spot to visit in the upcoming months if you are looking to enjoy nature. Get out there and be safe!

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Contact Todd Reed at treedbass@yahoo.com and visit www.fishingwithtoddreed.com