Craig Lake near Brighton: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Craig Lake lies in Jersey County, in Illinois. The bank is 643 feet above sea level. At 10 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The nearest town is Brighton, 2.5 miles away. The nearest city of size is St. Louis, 27 miles away. Near neighbours: Lake Piasa 1 mile away, Thunderbird Lake 1.6 miles off, Briarwood Lake 2.5 miles away, Evergreen Lake 3.9 miles off and Jones Pond 3.9 miles away. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Craig Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Species logged across Jersey County include orangethroat darter, bluegill, green sunfish and gizzard shad. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Read Craig Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 77°F; by January the average is down near 27°F. In milder years the surface never sets. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. The season on Craig Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Lake Piasa at 1 mile is the sensible second choice. Treat Craig Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.