Largemouth Bass

McCullom Lake offers some surprisingly good largemouth bass fishing for its size, especially considering its proximity to Chicago. The lake's relatively shallow, weedy structure creates ideal habitat. Focus on the weed edges and docks, especially during the warmer months. Spring and fall are prime times, as the bass move shallow to spawn or fatten up before winter. Early morning and late evening are often the most productive. A local tip: try fishing the northeast corner of the lake near the inlet channel; it tends to hold good numbers of bass. Public access is available via the park on the west side of the lake, though shoreline fishing is somewhat limited. A small boat or kayak will greatly expand your fishing options. The bass here aren't typically huge, but you can find good numbers of 1-3 pounders, with occasional larger fish in the 4-5 pound range.