Newton Lake- Big Bass!

On a more productive note, a good friend of mine headed South this past weekend. The destination was set for Newton Lake. Newton is a gem in disguise when it comes to Largemouth Bass fishing. I have personally fished this lake a half of a dozen times, and every time down there was never a disappointing moment.  Newton serves as a cooling lake for a hydro power plant. This lake is fishable year round. I usually fish this body of water between the months of February and April. When you have that open water itch in the dead of winter, Newton serves the cure.

 In its V shaped, the lake is usually referred as having a hot and cold water side to it. The east side is the cold water, or the side water is pulled from. The west wing is the warm water discharge. In the dead of winter you can fish top water lures on the warm side, catch fish, and use them as hand warmers before releasing them back into the lake. The most interesting thing about this lake is the size of the fish. I would say an average Largemouth is 4 lbs. easy. My biggest fish on this lake to date is 6lbs. My friend Greg, who fished here this weekend has a big bass of over 8lbs. The IL. Dnr strongly believes that the IL. state record will be broken on this lake in the very near future. Newton lies in the Eastern part of IL. near Eastern IL. University. From the Chicagoland area you are looking at a good 4-5 hour drive down. Well worth the trip!

 This was one of the nicer fish Greg managed to hook into over the weekend. He relayed to me that there biggest fish was 20in. all the way down to 15in. being the smallest. They where throwing Cranks,Swim baits, Jigs, and spinners. The bite was best in the morning and tapering down in the afternoons. Good Luck and Tight Lines to all!

Body of Water: Newton Lake
Nearest Town: Newton,IL
Conditions: Sunny and Warm
Targets: Largemouth Bass
Lures used: Crankbaits,Spinnerbaits,Jigs, and Swimbaits
Fish Caught: 15 fish over 18in. plus a bunch of shorter ones.