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Fox Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Fox Lake in the Fox Chain O'Lakes, glacial water where IDNR rates crappie, channel catfish and muskie highly and stocks millions of walleye.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
427 cfs
Air / High
71 / 71 F
Wind
SSE 5 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 05548500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Fox Lake rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The nearest gauge reads 4.12 ft, up 0.06 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 5 mph, steady pressure near 1024 hPa and a high of 71. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:28 AM-11:28 AM and 9:57 PM-11:57 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60Β°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

WalleyeGood

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Northern pikeGood

The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Largemouth bassGood

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Smallmouth bassGood

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

CrappieFair

Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Tomorrow: Similar at 70 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Illinois requires a fishing licence, from $15.00 for residents. What a Illinois licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing walleye here? Check the size and bag limits with IDNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Illinois, read off the agency, are on the Illinois seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Fox River at Johnsburg.

Gauge height, last 30 days

USGS gauge 05548500.

4.084.424.774.12 ft09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp71 F
High / Low71 / 44 F
WindSSE 5-6 mph
Pressure1024.1 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain11% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:15 / 17:58
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Fox Lake this week

The best day on Fox Lake this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 4 out of 5, against 3 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
9:28 AM-11:28 AM and 9:57 PM-11:57 PM
Minor period
3:50 AM-4:50 AM
Sun
07:15 to 17:58
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Showers, 8 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Fox Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: cool water, from ice-out through spring, in fall and under the ice

A long, duck-billed predator of weedy lakes, slow rivers and backwaters that ambushes fish from vegetation. Wisconsin DNR points out that, unlike most of the state's common game fish, pike do their best feeding in cool water. The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Pre-spawn fish move toward shallow coves, and Iowa DNR points to wading as an effective way to reach them in spring; minnows or small jigs under a float.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. In spring after ice-out, Iowa finds channel cats feeding on winter-killed shad on the shallow, warmer mudflats at the upper ends of reservoirs; cut bait on the bottom works there.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60Β°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

When to come: the Fox Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Northern pike
Crappie
Largemouth bass
Smallmouth bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Muskellunge
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Fox Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 73 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Illinois requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Illinois fishing license; Fox Waterway Agency annual user sticker for watercraft on the Chain and the Fox River from the state line to Algonquin Dam. IDNR site rules for the Chain (read 2026-10-05): walleye, sauger and hybrids 14 in. minimum with an 18-24 in. protected slot, 4 a day with no more than 1 at 24 in. or longer; muskie 48 in., 1 a day; largemouth or smallmouth bass 14 in., 6 a day with no more than 3 smallmouth, and all smallmouth released April 1-June 15; northern pike 24 in., 3 a day; flathead catfish 3 a day with no more than 1 at 28 in. or longer.

Access

Free state boat ramps at Chain O'Lakes State Park (847-587-5512), with boat and motor rental, bait and tackle concessions there and at the McHenry Dam; private fee launches around the Chain. No fish-cleaning stations in the state parks or at the McHenry Dam.

About this water

One of the glacial lakes of the Fox Chain O'Lakes in Lake County, Illinois; IDNR lists Fox and Nippersink lakes together at 2,376.8 acres. The page's gauge, USGS 05548500 Fox River at Johnsburg, reports stage only.

Fishing Fox Lake: the full guide

Part of the Fox Chain O'Lakes

Fox Lake is one of the glacial lakes of the Fox Chain O'Lakes in Lake County, about 50 miles northwest of Chicago near Antioch, Fox Lake and McHenry. IDNR counts 7,110 acres in the Chain above the Stratton Dam and lists Fox and Nippersink lakes together at 2,376.8 acres, the largest unit in the system. The Chain is a public navigable waterway managed by IDNR and the Fox Waterway Agency, and Chain O'Lakes State Park borders Grass, Marie and Nippersink lakes and the Fox River that links the rest.

What IDNR finds in its surveys

IDNR's fishing outlook rates crappie and channel catfish excellent, bluegill and muskie very good, largemouth bass good, and smallmouth bass and flathead catfish fair, with northern pike improving. Its biologists report an average muskie of 36 inches, fish up to 51 inches reported by anglers almost every year, and a largest sampled fish of 36.2 pounds in 2007; a Chain muskie takes at least 12 years to reach the 48-inch legal length. Northern pike, channel catfish, crappie, bluegill and white and yellow bass are maintained by natural reproduction.

Stocking

Walleye, muskie and largemouth bass are stocked. IDNR's 2026 stocking record for the Chain lists 333,577 walleye fingerlings and 2,762,000 more walleye, plus 11,716 largemouth bass fingerlings and 4,018 advanced fingerlings.

Common questions

How big do muskie get in the Chain?

IDNR says the average muskie is 36 inches, anglers report fish to 51 inches almost every year, and the largest it has sampled weighed 36.2 pounds. The legal minimum is 48 inches.

Do I need the waterway sticker?

Yes for watercraft: the Fox Waterway Agency requires an annual user fee sticker on the Chain O'Lakes and the Fox River from the state line to the Algonquin Dam.

Where can I launch for free?

IDNR lists state-owned free boat ramps at Chain O'Lakes State Park; other launches around the Chain are private and charge a fee.

Is fishing good at Fox Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Fox Chain O’Lakes2 miFox River18 miLake Geneva21 miDelavan Lake27 miWind Lake28 miLake Michigan (Chicago)46 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 05548500 β€” Fox River at Johnsburg
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 42.4113, -88.1567 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.