Fishing Hooper Lake in Jersey County, Illinois

• Overview

  Hooper Lake lies in Jersey County, in Illinois. Around the bank it is mixed woodland. About 3 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. It is a small entry by Jersey County standards. The closest town, Jerseyville, is 10 miles distant. St. Louis sits 27 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Hooper Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Records held for Jersey County cover orangethroat darter, bluegill, green sunfish and gizzard shad. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Hooper Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 27°F in January and 77°F in July. Ice comes and goes from one year to the next. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. At Hooper Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. Somewhere to sit and eat is half a mile out. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Failing this one, try Spring Valley Estates Lake, 0.6 miles away. Where Hooper Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.