Hem Pond in Fayette County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Hem Pond is one of the Fayette County waters in Illinois. The setting is rolling hill on every side. The water measures roughly 10 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Most waters listed here for Fayette County are larger. You are 12 miles from Vandalia. For a city, St. Louis is 55 miles off. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Hem Pond

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Fayette County include orangethroat darter, green sunfish and johnny darter. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. The shape of Hem Pond decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 78°F at the top of summer and 28°F at the bottom of winter. Temperature moves within a narrow band, and so does the fishing. It is not guaranteed even in a cold spell, so check yourself. Late winter often fishes better here than midsummer does. It sets the rhythm of the year at Hem Pond.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Boats go in at Cox Bridge Access Ramp, roughly half a mile from the water. The closest car park is half a mile away, so pack accordingly. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Otter Pond is 0.8 miles distant. Nothing on Hem Pond should be assumed from this page alone.