Fishing at Cedar Lake, Jackson County, Illinois

• Overview

  Cedar Lake is one of the Jackson County listings for Illinois. Country round the bank runs to farm and woodlot. About 999 acres, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. With about 28 miles of shoreline, local advice saves a lot of walking. It is among the larger waters listed here for Jackson County. You are 7.1 miles from Carbondale. St. Louis sits 85 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Cedar Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. County-wide records name bluegill, orangethroat darter, green sunfish, largemouth bass and longear sunfish. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Cedar Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 78°F; the cold one sits at 31°F. Ice comes and goes from one year to the next. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. The season on Cedar Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Poplar Camp Creek is 1.7 miles off. Rules at Cedar Lake are worth checking on the day.