Lake Charles, Illinois: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lake Charles sits in Lake County, out in Illinois. The setting is lake country bush on every side. With some 39 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The bank runs about 0.9 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Libertyville sits 1.8 miles from the bank. For a city, Elgin is 22 miles off. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Lake Charles

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Public occurrence data for Lake County names bluegill, common carp, green sunfish and pumpkinseed. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Read Lake Charles for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 21°F in January and 72°F in July. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late March. Averages place the thaw at late March and the freeze at mid December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Anyone fishing Lake Charles regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. There is a slipway on the shore, half a mile from the water we list. You can leave the car about half a mile from the water. There is a jetty 140 yards off, worth knowing on a busy day. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Big Bear Lake is 0.7 miles off. Ask locally about Lake Charles if anything is unclear.