Pistakee Lake Fishing Spot

• Mean Depth: 6'
• Max Depth: 31'
• Elevation: 731'
• Last Modified By: vinny60 on 09/10/09 05:54 PM
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One of the most popular water sport destinations in the state, the Chain O'Lakes, located about 40 miles northwest of Chicago in Lake and McHenry Counties, is the largest inland, recreational waterway system in Illinois. Consisting of nine major lakes, ranging from 86 to 1,700 acres in size, the "Chain" is a result of the McHenry Dam on the Fox River, historically the home of many Indian tribes in the mid 1600's. The nine major lakes and adjacent smaller bodies of water pro-vide about 7,000 acres of recreational water that includes over 29 miles of dredged and natural channels connecting the major bodies of water. The "Chain" has 488 shoreline miles. A variety of sport fish await anglers and angling has improved in recent years, especially for walleyes which have been heavily stocked since 1978. Northern pike and muskies in the trophy class also are occasionally caught there, as well as largemouth and white bass, crappies, bluegills, channel cat, bullheads, carp and yellow perch. The area provides year round angling, and ice fishing is popular during the winter months. As well as year round recreation including boating, jet skiing, canoeing, kayaking, waterskiing, wake boarding, swimming, floating, snow mobiling, ice skating, cross country skiing & more. There are numerous hotels, motels and resorts in the immediate vicinity of the chain. As well as a great variety of local marinas & restaurants to dock you boat & grab a bite to eat. Many of the restaurants have live entertainment, as well. Chain O'Lakes State Park, encompassing 2,450 acres, borders three of the major lakes. The Fox River intersects the park from the north and then flows into the lakes. The park, lying adjacent to 3,230-acre conservation area, consisting mainly of water and marshland, provides camping, picnicking, hunting, winter sports and interpretive programs. Fox and Pistakee Lakes are the two largest bodies of water on the "Chain," encompassing 1,700 acres apiece. Grass Lake contains 1,350 acres. The area gets much public use, with as many as 60,000 people visiting on summer weekends. The southernmost lake on the "Chain;' Pistakee contains 1,700 acres and lies on the McHenry/Lake County boundary. Good walleye, white bass and channel catfish populations are found there. Though the lake averages about six feet in most areas, Pistakee Bay drops off to a depth of over 30 feet. Meyers Bay is another good fishing area, as is Redhead Lake, a small lake connected to Pistakee via a channel. There are about 10 launching ramps on the lake. They are located on the northeast and southwest sides. Pistakee Lake is located in Northwestern Lake county, between Route 12 and Route 134. Free access is available at Chain O'Lakes State Park. Other access is available from various marinas in the area. Directions to State Park (free access): I-294 to Illinois 173 (Rosecrans Road), and head west. Turn left at Wilmot road and watch for signs for the State Park. The State Park is located on Grass lake (which is a shallow lake and power boats will want to be sure to follow navigation buoys). Pistakee is not accessible to sailors via the public ramp in the park (which is off of Grass Lake on the Fox River and closed right now). There are two adjacent bridges (highway and railroad) between Nippersink and Pistakee Lakes which a sailboat cannot pass unless the mast is stepped down. (Clearance is about 8'4"). The easiest access to Pistakee is from Ben Watt's Marina in the town of Fox Lake on Rt. 12. Ramp fee is $13/day. Water: Cloudy and Murky - decreases in summer due to algae blooms, very choppy waters increase in summer due to heavy boat traffic and the effects of the Fox River Base: 80% muck & 20% sand Inlets: Nippersink Lake and Creek on the north side and various other inlets from smaller lakes and bays Outlets: Fox River on the west shore