Lake of the Woods Fishing Guide, Champaign County, Illinois

• Overview

  Lake of the Woods belongs to Champaign County, Illinois. It lies 719 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 30 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Nothing else we list in Champaign County covers more water. The closest town, Lake of the Woods, is 0.7 miles distant. Beyond it, Mahomet at 1.4 miles and Fisher at 8.1 miles. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Lake of the Woods

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Champaign County records list bluegill, orangethroat darter, green sunfish and longear sunfish among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Lake of the Woods to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 24°F to 75°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Look for the thaw near mid March; the fishing lifts straight after. Climate figures give an open season running mid March to late December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Lake of the Woods fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. A slipway half a mile out gives trailer access. A car park lies 170 yards away, so the walk in is short. There is a toilet block some 130 yards out. The water sits inside or beside a mapped nature reserve, so expect additional rules. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Trautman Lake is 1.8 miles off. Treat access at Lake of the Woods as something to verify.