[chuckt]

Has anybody fished this place and, if so, your thoughts and suggestions. https://www.dupageforest.org/places-to- ... ch#driving

[krazykarl35]

Its been a while but I have fished it. Its a deep clear quarry, so not the easiest to fish. I think they may let you night fish there. At least they used to. Thats when I would fish that place. It does have some very nice fish in it. Again at least it did. I havent looked at the stocking reports. If they have kept up with the stocking, there should still be some good fish in there. Bass Lake is another one you should consider checking out....

[serendipity]

This lake is infested with zebra mussels, so the water is gin-clear. It has the usual offerings of FPD bass, bluegill, catfish, carp, perch and walleye.

It is a high pressure lake so you have to be innovative in your presentation. I have fly-fished here and that is innovative for this lake. Fish cribs are on the northern end of the lake, between the two fishing piers. You will have a hard time fly fishing from the northern shore.

As you move toward the W. Branch of DuPage River on the west side of the lake, there is a shallow bay, again with limited shore access. As you come around to the south, there is a limestone wall that drops off into deep water. This can be good area to fish depending on the season. The little bay can be fun for pre-spawn fish if early in the season. Some work was done further south to shore up the bank. Limestone gravel was used to build up the embankment and this may attract fish because of the change in bottom composition. Keep going south, and off to your right the DuPage river comes back toward the lake. There are some spots that look promising in that south west corner of the lake...

On the eastern side of the lake, very shallow, weed filled flat in the summer. As you move back north there are some pockets or inside turns that could be productive, especially toward the fishing pier just off of the parking lot.

If you're wanting to know about the river itself, it is a typical gravel bottom, very narrow and fast moving water. The banks are steep and probably pretty difficult to fish. Roll casts a must here. I have not fished this span of river, and have not seen people fish this section very much if at all. I have seen some people fishing the river close to Army Trail Road. And many of these same people have received tickets for parking on the side of the road.

Hope this helps!

[Tom]

serendipity wrote:

This lake is infested with zebra mussels, so the water is gin-clear. It has the usual offerings of FPD bass, bluegill, catfish, carp, perch and walleye.

It is a high pressure lake so you have to be innovative in your presentation. I have fly-fished here and that is innovative for this lake. Fish cribs are on the northern end of the lake, between the two fishing piers. You will have a hard time fly fishing from the northern shore.

As you move toward the W. Branch of DuPage River on the west side of the lake, there is a shallow bay, again with limited shore access. As you come around to the south, there is a limestone wall that drops off into deep water. This can be good area to fish depending on the season. The little bay can be fun for pre-spawn fish if early in the season. Some work was done further south to shore up the bank. Limestone gravel was used to build up the embankment and this may attract fish because of the change in bottom composition. Keep going south, and off to your right the DuPage river comes back toward the lake. There are some spots that look promising in that south west corner of the lake...

On the eastern side of the lake, very shallow, weed filled flat in the summer. As you move back north there are some pockets or inside turns that could be productive, especially toward the fishing pier just off of the parking lot.

If you're wanting to know about the river itself, it is a typical gravel bottom, very narrow and fast moving water. The banks are steep and probably pretty difficult to fish. Roll casts a must here. I have not fished this span of river, and have not seen people fish this section very much if at all. I have seen some people fishing the river close to Army Trail Road. And many of these same people have received tickets for parking on the side of the road.

Hope this helps!

Responses like this one, is what makes this site the cats behind. Thank you Serendipity for taking the time to share your knowledge.

Tom

[chuckt]

I second Tom's thanks for the insight. My son brought up the subject for a possible change of places. I would assume, due to its location, that fishing pressure would be high and that the quarry's depth would make it difficult. But it is local so nothing is lost except for time and some gas but what is gained is an adventure no matter how small.

[thewatsonator]

chuckt wrote:

what is gained is an adventure no matter how small.

Amen, love venturing out on new water. Bonus if you catch fish!

[Bronzebacker]

I ventured around this place or at least I think I did this summer. I saw one really nice bass. It seems like a pressured spot and it was hard to fish with fly rod. I'm sure there are some good fish in there, but it's the type of lake that reminds me of s zoo enclosure. The fish see too many people. It's pretty bizarre lake as it is really clear and the drop offs a re sharp. Maybe it's worth ice fishing.

[MrFrost]

Bronzebacker wrote:

I ventured around this place or at least I think I did this summer. I saw one really nice bass. It seems like a pressured spot and it was hard to fish with fly rod. I'm sure there are some good fish in there, but it's the type of lake that reminds me of s zoo enclosure. The fish see too many people. It's pretty bizarre lake as it is really clear and the drop offs a re sharp. Maybe it's worth ice fishing.

I literally walked the entire lake, and fished every accessible part of bank I could. I saw one bass, and he saw me too. Lol. On the West side of the lake, there is a foot or two deep part that has weeds on the bottom, and he was suspended just on top of the weeds and I never even saw him, until my baby brush hog hopped right by him and he turned and looked at me. Then he slowly turned away, and swam towards the middle of the lake.

I'm not blaming the lake or the pressure, I was still an absolute novice, it was like my fifth time fishing. But there was a considerable amount of bank fishers there at the same time. The only guys catching fish were in kayaks fishing the deep holes, as it was like 90 degrees.

That being said, it's a beautiful lake. Just not an easy fishery for me. However, I will be back this Spring, as there is a small pond on the West side, that looked absolutely perfect for frogging. And I ventured a little farther NW and found the DuPage River literally a few hundred feet away. Definitely going to wade there.

[Tody]

That was a Great Lake before the parking lot was put in. I remember fishing it in the 80's and early 90's. Was my favorite lake back then. After the parking lot was put it, the fishing changed quite a bit and there was more trash laying around. Haven’t fished it in years so can’t provide any help.