Rock Lake Fishing Guide, Will County, Illinois

• Overview

  Illinois holds Rock Lake, in Will County. This is lake country bush ground. Nearest place of any size is Romeoville, 1.9 miles away. After that come Bolingbrook at 2.5 miles and Lemont at 3.1 miles. Also worth knowing: 2.3 miles out stands Lake Strini, Goose Lake at 2.7 miles, 3.1 miles out stands Pathways Pond, Blackhawk Pond at 3.2 miles and 3.9 miles out stands Whalon Lake. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Rock Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Will County include common carp, green sunfish, threadfin shad, bluegill and goldfish. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Rock Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 74°F, with January the cold end at about 22°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Once it clears, about mid March, the fishing comes on quickly. Ice usually gives way near mid March, and forms again about mid December. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. On Rock Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. You can park half a mile away and walk in from there. The water borders Veteran Woods County Forest Preserve, so expect the reserve rules to apply. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Lake Strini, 2.3 miles out. Rules at Rock Lake are worth checking on the day.