Fishing McGinnis Slough in Cook County, Illinois

• Overview

  McGinnis Slough is listed under Cook County, Illinois. The ground around here is lake country bush. With some 227 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Some 3.9 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Size puts it in the front rank of our Cook County list. You are 1 mile from Orland Park. Palos Park lies 2.6 miles off, Goodings Grove another 3.4 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on McGinnis Slough

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Public occurrence data for Cook County names common carp, bluegill and green sunfish. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At McGinnis Slough light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 74°F and January near 22°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Break-up comes around mid March, and the run that follows is short and strong. From about mid March to around mid December, expect open water on the long-run figures. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Anyone fishing McGinnis Slough regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. Part of this sits inside or beside McGinnis Slough, so read the notices. For the carp, bait a margin spot and sit on it; corn and bread still work. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Papoose Lake is 1.7 miles distant. None of that is settled for McGinnis Slough in what we hold.