Fishing at Papoose Lake, Cook County, Illinois

• Overview

  Papoose Lake is one of the Cook County listings for Illinois. It lies 682 feet above sea level. At 18 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. 1.5 miles away sits Palos Park, the nearest town. Joliet is the closest city, 15 miles away. Water in the same corner: Horsetail Lake 0.7 miles, McGinnis Slough after 1.7 miles, Bergman Slough 2.2 miles, Tampier Lake after 2.4 miles and Tampier Slough 2.5 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Papoose Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. County-wide records name common carp, bluegill, green sunfish and gizzard shad. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Papoose Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 74°F and January at 22°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Look for the thaw near mid March; the fishing lifts straight after. Break-up near mid March, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. It sets the rhythm of the year at Papoose Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. A car park sits roughly half a mile away. There are picnic tables recorded roughly half a mile off. The water borders Forty Acre Woods, so reserve rules are likely to apply. Carp respond to sweetcorn or boilies fished patiently on the bottom near feeding areas. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. For a change of water, Horsetail Lake is 0.7 miles distant. What applies at Papoose Lake may have changed since it was mapped.