Kapes Lake in Madison County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Madison County, Illinois. The bank is 551 feet above sea level. About 7 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Our Madison County list holds plenty of bigger water. Head to Collinsville, 3.7 miles away, for anything you forgot. O'Fallon is 4.1 miles and Maryville 5.3 miles. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Kapes Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Survey and observation records for Madison County include common carp, bluegill and green sunfish. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Read Kapes Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 78°F and January near 28°F. In milder years the surface never sets. It is not guaranteed even in a cold spell, so check yourself. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. The season on Kapes Lake rarely departs from it. Short days concentrate it into a narrow window.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Fairwood Lake, 3.4 miles away. Treat access at Kapes Lake as something to verify.