Fishing Maple Lake in DuPage County, Illinois

• Overview

  Maple Lake is one of the DuPage County waters in Illinois. The setting is mixed forest. Roughly 59 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Roughly 1.2 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Few waters listed in DuPage County are bigger. Nearest town is Willow Springs, 2.4 miles off. Naperville sits 14 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Maple Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Open biodiversity records for DuPage County list bluegill, green sunfish, common carp, white sucker and largemouth bass. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Take Maple Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 74°F and January reads 22°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid March. In an average year the thaw lands around mid March and the freeze near mid December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Maple Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Anglers use Maple Lake East Fishing Pier, half a mile from this water. A camping area sits within half a mile of here. A rest area sits about half a mile from the water. A toilet block sits half a mile away. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Rainbarrel Slough, 0.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position on Maple Lake before loading the car.