Fishing near Chicago Loop, Illinois

The Cook County town of Chicago Loop sits in Illinois. The population runs to roughly 33,442. Short trips first: South Pond (2.3 miles), North Pond (3.0 miles) to the north, Schiller Pond (12 miles) with Peterson Lake (14 miles) to the north-west. South Pond is worth a look at first light before anyone else arrives. What you get here is lake fishing. Weed gaps are better than weed edges on a bright day. Some years give ice and some give none. Edges go first and the middle never sets hard. The first on the list, South Pond, measures about 5 acres. There is a launch at South Pond, so a boat is an option there. On climate averages, local water clears around mid March. Open records for Cook County list common carp, bluegill, green sunfish and gizzard shad. The nearby water is mainly natural, with soft margins and weed. The run from Chicago Loop to South Pond is the shortest of them all....