Fishing at Big Beaver Lake, Perry County, Illinois

• Overview

  Illinois holds Big Beaver Lake, in Perry County. It stands 417 feet above sea level. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Illinois listings. The town to know is Pinckneyville, 5.3 miles out. St. Louis sits 61 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Also on the doorstep: Spring Lake 0.2 miles away, Crescent Lake at 0.5 miles, Pine Lake 0.6 miles away, Serene Lake at 0.6 miles and Willow Lake 0.6 miles away. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Big Beaver Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. County-wide records name bluegill, johnny darter, slough darter, largemouth bass and longear sunfish. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Big Beaver Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 30°F to 78°F. The year gives four workable seasons without severe ends. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. Autumn steadies things again once the heat lets go. That is the shape of the year on Big Beaver Lake. Barometer swings matter more than a degree or two.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. A ramp at Pine Lake is mapped half a mile away. A car park sits roughly half a mile away. Public data records a pier about half a mile out. Overnight stays are possible half a mile away. Facilities run to toilets half a mile from the water. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. The nearest alternative is Spring Lake, 0.2 miles out. Nothing here settles the position at Big Beaver Lake for certain.