Fishing at Rice Lake, Knox County, Illinois

• Overview

  Rice Lake sits in Knox County, out in Illinois. The water sits 761 feet up. With some 56 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Shoreline comes to about 2.1 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Size puts it in the front rank of our Knox County list. Nearest town is Galesburg, 2.5 miles off. Davenport sits 42 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. Public occurrence data for Knox County names johnny darter, largemouth bass, white sucker and slenderhead darter. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. At Rice Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 21°F in January up to 75°F in July. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid March. Expect the water usable from around mid March until roughly mid December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Rice Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is a car park half a mile from the bank. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Glenwood Lake, 0.3 miles out. Nothing here settles the position at Rice Lake for certain.