Turtle Pond Fishing in Livingston County, Illinois

• Overview

  Look for Turtle Pond in Livingston County, Illinois. Elevation runs to 738 feet. At about 47 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Supplies mean a trip to Chatsworth, 5.2 miles off. It is 60 miles to Joliet, the nearest city. Neighbouring water: Lake Sibley near enough 7.6 miles, Iroquois Lake at 14 miles, Widner Lake near enough 15 miles, Kellart Lake at 22 miles and Greenwood Lake near enough 23 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Turtle Pond

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Open biodiversity records for Livingston County list johnny darter, green sunfish, goldfish, slenderhead darter and blackside darter. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Turtle Pond the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 74°F and January about 22°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Winter locks it down, and mid March brings it back. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid March in spring and again near late December in autumn. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Expect Turtle Pond to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Bluegill and other panfish take small jigs or worms under a float near any cover. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Lake Sibley is 7.6 miles off. Check the current arrangement for Turtle Pond.