Trautman Lake Fishing in Champaign County, Illinois

• Overview

  This water sits in Champaign County, Illinois. The bank gives way to pine and birch. Small at around 11 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for Champaign County are larger. For a base, Lake of the Woods sits 1.5 miles out. Mahomet is 2.4 miles and Fisher 6.3 miles. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Trautman Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Records held for Champaign County cover bluegill, orangethroat darter, green sunfish, longear sunfish and johnny darter. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. At Trautman Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 75°F in July and bottom out at 24°F in January. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. After mid March the shallows warm and the fish move up. Climate averages put the opening at about mid March and the closing near late December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. The season on Trautman Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Failing this one, try Lake of the Woods, 1.8 miles away. Check the position at Trautman Lake before loading the car.