Illinois Lakes
Fishing Arrow Head Lake Johnston City IL
Jul
Fishing at Arrow Head Lake in Johnston City IL.
Have you ever judged a book by its cover? Of course, we all have!
In the northeast corner of Williamson County, IL. just a little east of the tiny town of Johnston City sits a 30 acre lake surrounded by hiking trails and a small but very clean campground. I’ve seen this lake many times while taking the backroads to Marion but had never considered fishing at Arrow Head Lake in Johnston City IL. At first glance it looked like a small park pond which rarely receives attention let alone a good healthy fish population.
Well, Shelby and I had a couple of hours to burn and didn’t wish to travel far so we thought what the heck!
Directions to Arrowhead Lake
Arrowhead Lake sits just about three miles east of Interstate 57 at mile marker 59. Once you go through town you will head out on a curve until you see a small sign pointing you to Arrowhead Lake. After passing by a couple of ball fields you come up on the waterway beginning with the boat ramp and a very nice parking lot. If you stay to the left you will run directly into Arrowhead Lake Campground which lines the southwest part of the lake.
Shelby and I pushed off our Kayaks a couple of hours before dark. It was early June and most of the bluegill spawn had already concluded. We began our journey into the first cove that meets the campground. We each tied on The Phyllis Bluegill Bug in Lime and Black on a 1/16oz Bug Head and began casting.
Only 3 or 4 casts in and my bobber sank viciously! Upon hookset a 3 pound bass stormed to the surface and tried to shake the bug out of her mouth. After the 30 second battle concluded, I brought her up and released her. Moments later Shelby set the hook and had another big fight on. This one ended up being a really nice Shell Cracker! My opinion that I held about a place for years had changed in 15 minutes.
We paddled our Kayaks back into the corner which sat a flat with several stumps. While I thought this looked like a great spot, we ended up spending an hour in there with only a couple of bites so onward we went.
The bluegill were tough to find at first on Lake Arrowhead!
About halfway out of that cove in a small indention I threw up against the bank and my bobber sank instantly! A beautiful large male bluegill came up. I threw back in there and another took the bait, Eureka! A bluegill bed remained!
She and I sat on them for several minutes catching plate sized bream one after another though we weren’t there to keep them. At one point my bobber popped in an odd way indicative of a crappie. When I sat the hook I was amazed as I pulled the papermouth up which weighed just less than 2lbs!
After the bed had been exhausted it I pulled up to a brush pile, threw in, and up came another monster crappie though this one out witted me before I could bring it close. By now, Shelby had found another bed of bluegill and I caught up to her to enjoy catching them the rest of the evening.
The sun sank quickly behind the trees and darkness began to descend so we decided to call it an evening. As we paddled back I couldn’t help but think how often I had driven by and never even given the lake a seconds thought. I plan to start visiting lakes soon that I’ve looked over for one reason or another as to discover other hidden gems.
Where to Find Local retailers of the Phyllis Bluegill Bug when Fishing Arrow Head Lake Johnston City IL?
Local Retailers of the Phyllis Bluegill Bug are Just Add Water, Zeigler Feed Store and The Crappie Pro Shop! Please visit them for your Shelton’s Lures fishing needs!
