Fishing at Grays Lake, Lake County, Illinois

• Overview

  You will find Grays Lake in Lake County, Illinois. The surface lies 778 feet up. The water covers some 79 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Bank access stretches around 1.4 miles in total. It sits higher than most water we list in Illinois. Grayslake lies 0.4 miles from the water. Beyond it, Hainesville at 1.1 miles and Round Lake Park at 1.8 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Grays Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Lake County list bluegill, common carp, green sunfish and pumpkinseed. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Grays Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 72°F and January about 20°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Once it clears, about late March, the fishing comes on quickly. The water is typically free of ice between late March and mid December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Plan around that when you fish Grays Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. A slipway is marked about half a mile from here. Parking is close: a car park sits half a mile from the bank. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Cranberry Lake, 1.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Grays Lake for certain.