Largemouth Bass

Head to Harvard, Illinois, and you'll find opportunities for largemouth bass in the numerous small lakes and ponds dotting the landscape. These smaller bodies of water can warm up quickly in the spring, making for excellent pre-spawn and spawning bass fishing. Look for shallow, weedy areas and submerged structure. Summer can be productive as well, especially during the early morning and late evening hours. Fall can also be great, with bass feeding heavily before winter. A local tip: many of these lakes are on private property, so always obtain permission before fishing. For publicly accessible options, check out nearby conservation areas or forest preserves. Largemouth in this region average 1-3 pounds, but some larger fish exceeding 5 pounds are definitely present. Try using topwater lures early and late in the day, switching to jigs and plastics as the sun gets higher.