Green Lake Fishing Guide, Cook County, Illinois

• Overview

  Green Lake is listed under Cook County, Illinois. Elevation runs to 610 feet. About 5 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Cook County. The nearest place of any size is Calumet City, 1.7 miles away. Beyond it, Burnham at 2.5 miles and South Holland at 2.7 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Green Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Cook County names common carp, bluegill, green sunfish and gizzard shad. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Green Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 74°F; by January the average is down near 22°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid March. On average, mid March opens the water and late December closes it again. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. At Green Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. There is somewhere to leave the car, 130 yards off. A campsite lies half a mile away for anyone staying over. A picnic area is mapped about half a mile away. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Swets Lake, 1.7 miles away. Where Green Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.