Lake Montclare Fishing near Olney, Illinois

• Overview

  This water sits in Richland County, Illinois. Country round the bank runs to mixed woodland. This is a pocket water of some 4 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is a small entry by Richland County standards. For a base, Olney sits 5.5 miles out. For a city, Evansville is 56 miles off. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Lake Montclare

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Richland County, recorded fish include green sunfish, bluegill, longear sunfish, redfin pickerel and blackside darter. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Lake Montclare fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 77°F; by January the average is down near 28°F. Whether it freezes depends on the year. Some winters give nothing at all, so plan for open water. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. It holds true on Lake Montclare more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Millers Lake at 3.4 miles is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Lake Montclare for certain.