Pond Lily Lake near Manito: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Pond Lily Lake is a Fulton County water, Illinois side. It sits at 443 feet above sea level. At 8 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Supplies mean a trip to Manito, 7 miles off. Peoria is the closest city, 22 miles away. What else is close: Lock Pond 0.8 miles off, West River within 1.1 miles, Lost Lake 1.2 miles off, Slim Lake within 1.2 miles and Rice Lake 1.7 miles off. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Pond Lily Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Across Fulton County, recorded fish include common carp, goldfish and white perch. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Pond Lily Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 76°F, with January the cold end at about 23°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Count the season from break-up, usually mid March. Break-up near mid March, freeze-up near late December: that is the shape of an average year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Pond Lily Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lock Pond, 0.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Pond Lily Lake in what we hold.