Sawmill Lake Fishing near Henry, Illinois

• Overview

  You will find Sawmill Lake in Marshall County, Illinois. Elevation runs to 440 feet. Roughly 556 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. It ranks among the bigger water on our Illinois list. Nearest place of any size is Henry, 1.7 miles away. The big place round here is North Peoria, 31 miles distant. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Sawmill Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. County-wide records name green sunfish, largemouth bass and logperch. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Work Sawmill Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 22°F to 74°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid March. The open-water window runs from around mid March to about mid December in an average year. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Anyone fishing Sawmill Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Whitney Lake is 2.4 miles off. Signs at Sawmill Lake carry more weight than any list.