Fishing Briarwood Lake in Macoupin County, Illinois

• Overview

  Briarwood Lake is set in Macoupin County, Illinois. Land around it is open valley. Surface area runs to about 18 acres — small enough to read in one session. Brighton is the closest town at 0.6 miles. For a city, St. Louis is 28 miles off. Within easy reach: Evergreen Lake after 1.6 miles, Thunderbird Lake (1.7 miles), Craig Lake after 2.5 miles, Lake Piasa (3.3 miles) and Illinois No Name Number 2042 Reservoir after 3.5 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Briarwood Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. County-wide records name green sunfish, bluegill, white sucker and yellow bullhead. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. The near bank of Briarwood Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 27°F in January and 77°F in July. A long season, with weather mattering more than the month. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Time your trip to Briarwood Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Parking is not close: half a mile from the bank, and no nearer option is mapped. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Evergreen Lake, 1.6 miles out. Treat Briarwood Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.