Fishing near Park Ridge, Illinois

This is Park Ridge, an Illinois town in Cook County. About 37,757 people live here. Counting outwards from town: Park Lake 0.7 miles away, Murphy Lake 0.9 miles away to the west, Forest Lake 0.9 miles away, Peterson Lake 1.7 miles away to the south-west then Shagbark Lake 2.2 miles away. Park Lake drops its level through a dry spell, so follow the water down. The freeze is occasional rather than yearly. It varies enough that no rule of thumb holds. Most of this is standing water. Points and bays outfish flat shoreline every time. Closest is Park Lake at around 6 acres of water. Park Lake has mapped parking, which saves a long carry. Expect the lakes here to open about mid March. Across Cook County, recorded fish include common carp, bluegill and green sunfish. Natural basins dominate the list within reach. Anyone based in Park Ridge can reach every one of these in a morning....