Axehead Lake Fishing Guide, Cook County, Illinois

• Overview

  Set in Cook County, Axehead Lake is an Illinois water. Elevation runs to 630 feet. At roughly 16 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. For supplies, Park Ridge is 1.3 miles out. It is 16 miles to Chicago, the nearest city. Also worth knowing: Murphy Lake within 0.6 miles, Forest Lake out at 0.7 miles, Peterson Lake within 0.7 miles, Park Lake out at 0.7 miles and Shagbark Lake within 1.5 miles. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Axehead Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Cook County, recorded fish include common carp, bluegill, green sunfish and gizzard shad. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Axehead Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 74°F, while January sits near 22°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid March. The season between ice runs from about mid March to mid December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. On Axehead Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Parking is mapped about 160 yards from the bank. A picnic site half a mile off makes this workable with family in tow. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. Iroquois Woods takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Murphy Lake, 0.6 miles away. Confirm before you fish Axehead Lake.