Within a 75-minute drive of Chicago there are 6 fishing waters in our guide: 4 lakes and 2 reservoirs. Our records list no fewer than 64 species of fish for them.

The shortest drive: Lake Michigan, 2 min

Lake Michigan is the shortest drive from Chicago: 2 min (0.9 mi).

Next by drive time:

What bites near Chicago: Common Carp first

Common Carp turns up in more of these waters than any other fish: 5 of 6. Next come Bluegill (4), White Perch (3), Channel Catfish (3) and Goldfish (3).

The nearest water for each of the leading species:

  • Common Carp, White Perch and Goldfish: Lake Michigan, 2 min (0.9 mi)
  • Bluegill and Channel Catfish: Skokie Lagoons, 26 min (21.4 mi)

Where to start: Lake Michigan

These 3 waters lead our list for Chicago, ranked by distance, depth data, fish records and access:

  • Lake Michigan: 14,296,859 acres, 62 fish species on record, max depth 902.2 ft (surveyed), 321 ramps and 203,530,924 fish stocked.
  • Skokie Lagoons (reservoir): 302 acres, 11 fish species on record, max depth 16 ft (surveyed), 6 ramps and 78,735 fish stocked.
  • Wolf Lake: 775 acres, 14 fish species on record, max depth 54 ft (surveyed) and 8 ramps.

Deepest nearby: Lake Michigan, 902.2 ft

The deepest water in this guide is Lake Michigan: 902.2 ft at its deepest point (surveyed). It is followed by Wolf Lake (54 ft), Pistakee Lake (30 ft) and Skokie Lagoons (16 ft). Maximum depths are known for all 6 waters.

Launching near Chicago: 14 ramps

Around Chicago you will find 14 boat ramps and 6 shore-fishing spots on the waters in this guide. The boat ramp closest to the city center is Ohio Street Beach Access on Lake Michigan, about 1.3 mi in a straight line.

8 campgrounds near the water

8 campgrounds sit by the waters around Chicago. The closest are West Beach Picnic Shelters (27.6 mi, by Lake Michigan), Indiana Dunes State Park Campground (32.9 mi, by Lake Michigan) and Nissaki Youth Tent Area 1 (33 mi, by Lake Michigan).

2 stocked waters near Chicago

Stocking records cover 2 of these waters; the largest totals are Lake Michigan (203,530,924 fish) and Skokie Lagoons (78,735 fish).