Crabtree Lake, Illinois: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Cook County, Crabtree Lake is an Illinois water. Around the bank it is rolling bush. Around 42 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. The full circuit measures close to 0.9 miles on foot. On our Cook County list it sits near the top for size. Head to Barrington Hills, 2.2 miles away, for anything you forgot. South Barrington is 2.7 miles away, with Barrington at 3.2 miles. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Crabtree Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Cook County list common carp, bluegill, green sunfish and gizzard shad. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Crabtree Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 72°F and January about 21°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Break-up comes around late March, and the run that follows is short and strong. The season between ice runs from about late March to mid December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Anyone fishing Crabtree Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Park at Crabtree Nature Center Parking, half a mile from the water. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. Crabtree Preserve covers this ground, which means extra rules to check. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Keene Lake is 1.7 miles off. Nothing here settles the position at Crabtree Lake for certain.