Fishing Grand Marais Lake in Saint Clair County, Illinois

• Overview

  Grand Marais Lake is a Saint Clair County water, Illinois side. The bank gives way to rolling hill. The water covers some 83 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. With about 2.2 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Few waters listed in Saint Clair County are bigger. Head to Alorton, 2.1 miles away, for anything you forgot. St. Louis is the closest city, 6.8 miles away. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Grand Marais Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name bluegill, green sunfish and largemouth bass. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Grand Marais Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 29°F to 78°F. The swings are modest, so patterns change slowly. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. November and March are the quiet, comfortable months to be out. The season on Grand Marais Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Grand Marais ramp gives a made launch, half a mile off. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For Grand Marais Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.