Sunset Lake Fishing in Macoupin County, Illinois

• Overview

  Look for Sunset Lake in Macoupin County, Illinois. Elevation runs to 640 feet. It runs to roughly 86 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The shoreline runs about 3.8 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Size puts it in the front rank of our Macoupin County list. Head to Girard, 3.9 miles away, for anything you forgot. Virden is 6.4 miles and Carlinville 11 miles. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Sunset Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Records held for Macoupin County cover green sunfish, bluegill and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Sunset Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 26°F to 76°F. The season stretches long at both ends here. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. The season on Sunset Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Otter Lake, 3.4 miles out. Check the position at Sunset Lake before loading the car.