Fishing Shady Lane Resort Lake in Lake County, Illinois

• Overview

  Shady Lane Resort Lake sits in Lake County, out in Illinois. Elevation runs to 686 feet. At 11 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Lake County. Head to Green Oaks, 0.4 miles away, for anything you forgot. It is 26 miles to Elgin, the nearest city. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Shady Lane Resort Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Open biodiversity records for Lake County list bluegill, common carp, green sunfish, pumpkinseed and largemouth bass. The county list is broader than any single water. At Shady Lane Resort Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 72°F and January reads 21°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Once it clears, about late March, the fishing comes on quickly. Open water usually runs from late March until about mid December. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Shady Lane Resort Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. A pier or jetty stands half a mile away, which helps on a crowded bank. There are picnic tables recorded roughly half a mile off. Facilities include toilets around half a mile from here. This lies within protected land, so the rules will be stricter than usual. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Lambs Lake sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow.