Lake Info
One of the most popular water sport destinations in the state, the Chain O'Lakes, located about 40 miles northwest of Chicago in Lake and McHenry Counties, is the largest inland, recreational waterway system in Illinois.
Consisting of nine major lakes, ranging from 86 to 1,700 acres in size, the "Chain" is a result of the McHenry Dam on the Fox River, historically the home of many Indian tribes in the mid 1600's.
The nine major lakes and adjacent smaller bodies of water pro-vide about 7,000 acres of recreational water that includes over 29 miles of dredged and natural channels connecting the major bodies of water. The "Chain" has 488 shoreline miles.
A variety of sport fish await anglers and angling has improved in recent years, especially for walleyes which have been heavily stocked since 1978. Northern pike and muskies in the trophy class also are occasionally caught there, as well as largemouth and white bass, crappies, bluegills, channel cat, bullheads, carp and yellow perch.
The area provides year round angling, and ice fishing is popular during the winter months. As well as year round recreation including boating, jet skiing, canoeing, kayaking, waterskiing, wake boarding, swimming, floating, snow mobiling, ice skating, cross country skiing & more.
There are numerous hotels, motels and resorts in the immediate vicinity of the chain. As well as a great variety of local marinas & restaurants to dock you boat & grab a bite to eat. Many of the restaurants have live entertainment, as well.
Chain O'Lakes State Park, encompassing 2,450 acres, borders three of the major lakes. The Fox River intersects the park from the north and then flows into the lakes. The park, lying adjacent to 3,230-acre conservation area, consisting mainly of water and marshland, provides camping, picnicking, hunting, winter sports and interpretive programs.
Fox and Pistakee Lakes are the two largest bodies of water on the "Chain," encompassing 1,700 acres apiece. Grass Lake contains 1,350 acres. The area gets much public use, with as many as 60,000 people visiting on summer weekends.
Closeups of the major lakes on The Chain:
Wisconsin Dells :
Good bass and northern pike fishing is associated with this 352-acre lake that provides a half dozen launch ramps and about a dozen operations that allow access. A variety of fish are taken from this deep lake. The bay at the south end where the lake drops off sharply is a good area.
Lake Delton :
Castle Rock Lake: