Swimming Lake near Cuba: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Swimming Lake falls in Fulton County, part of Illinois. Height above sea level is 604 feet. This is a pocket water of some 3 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Fulton County. You are 3.7 miles from Cuba. For a city, Peoria is 31 miles off. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Swimming Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. The old creek line under the surface is the feature worth finding. County-wide records name common carp, goldfish, white perch and bluegill. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Swimming Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 23°F to 75°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The lid usually goes in mid March, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up near mid March, freeze-up near late December: that is the shape of an average year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Swimming Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. The nearest alternative is Lake Marie, 0.2 miles out. None of that is settled for Swimming Lake in what we hold.