Fishing at New Cherry Lake, Perry County, Illinois

• Overview

  New Cherry Lake stands in Perry County, Illinois. What surrounds it is mixed woodland. Small at around 4 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Illinois listings. For supplies, Du Quoin is 1.6 miles out. St. Louis is the closest city, 66 miles away. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on New Cherry Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Public occurrence data for Perry County names bluegill, johnny darter, slough darter and largemouth bass. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Read New Cherry Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 78°F; the cold one sits at 30°F. Conditions shift steadily rather than sharply. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. At New Cherry Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Illinois Central Reservoir, 0.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on New Cherry Lake is worth confirming on the day.