Fishing Swan Lake in Putnam County, Illinois

• Overview

  You will find Swan Lake in Putnam County, Illinois. The ground around here is lake country bush. With some 175 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Roughly 1.9 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Henry is the closest town at 4.2 miles. Granville is 8.1 miles and Lacon 11 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Swan Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Putnam County, recorded fish include bluegill, green sunfish and orangespotted sunfish. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Swan Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 74°F; by January the average is down near 22°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid March. Expect the water usable from around mid March until roughly mid December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Swan Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. For the catfish, fish bottom baits into the deeper holes and let them sit. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Fish N Fun Lake, 2.4 miles out. Check the position at Swan Lake before loading the car.