Fishing Leake Lake in Lee County, Illinois

• Overview

  Out in Lee County, Illinois, sits Leake Lake. Beyond the shoreline you have rolling bush. It runs to roughly 28 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 1.0 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It is the biggest water on our Lee County list. Amboy at 4 miles is the nearest place to stop. Rockford sits 39 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Leake Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Species logged across Lee County include johnny darter, white sucker and green sunfish. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Fish Leake Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 19°F and July at about 73°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late March. In an average year the thaw lands around late March and the freeze near mid December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. The season on Leake Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Mapping shows a jetty some half a mile off. You can camp half a mile off, which suits an early start. For the catfish, fish bottom baits into the deeper holes and let them sit. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Lyon Lakes, 2.4 miles away. Treat Leake Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.