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LAKE PATTERSON - OAKHURST FOREST PRESERVE
Lake Information
County: Kane
Acreage: 48
Average Depth: 8.99 feet
Recreational Amenities
Boat Fishing? Electric motors
Boat Ramps? Yes
Boat Rental? No
Skiing? No
Swimming? No
There are no zebra mussels in this lake.
Fishing Outlook ( Full PDF Report )
Click here for a list of all reports.
Species |
Rank |
Fish Status |
Excellent | Black crappie were abundant in the 2014 sample with 20% of the catch measuring longer than nine inches. This lake has one of the best crappie populations in the area. | |
Excellent | Bluegill were caught at a rate lower than in the previous survey from 2014, but it is nothing to cause alarm. Size structure looked good, with 31% of the stock measuring longer than six inches. Several fish in the seven to eight length groups were present in the sample. The average bluegill in the sample was 5.9 inches long. | |
Fair | Common carp were captured but not overly abundant. | |
Improving | No channel catfish were captured in this survey, but they have been previously stocked. Fishing for channel catfish should be better in the future as 10,000 four and a half inch channel catfish were stocked in 2012 and 2014. | |
Very Good | Largemouth Bass catch rate was lower in the 2018 survey than it was in the 2014 survey, but size structure was much better in the more recent survey. Bass were caught at a rate that is exactly the management goal for this lake. Bass ranged in the length from 5.8 to 19.9 inches with an average length of 13.3 inches. Twenty four percent of the sampled stock measured longer than 15 inches. The heaviest bass weighed 5.0 pounds. | |
Location: Lake Patterson is located at the Oakhurst Forest Preserve on Fifth Avenue in Aurora, approximately 1/2 mile east of Farnsworth Avenue (1680 Fifth Avenue, Aurora IL).
Description: Lake Patterson is a 48-acre dug lake with a maximum depth of 20 feet and an average depth of 9 feet. The lake is owned by the Forest Preserve District of Kane County (FPDKC). Lake Patterson is the larger part of 55-acre wetland complex that designed for flood control. There is good shoreline fishing access available via a gravel trail around the lake. This lake does offer boat access (electric motors only) which is extremely rare in the Chicagoland Area. Electric motors are allowed and a boat ramp is available. The FPDKC is working on improving the boat launch facility at this lake.
History and Status of the Sport Fishery: In 2014, the FPDKC entered into a cooperative management agreement with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to facilitate fisheries management activities. Channel catfish are occasionally stocked to supplement the population. Site-specific regulations apply. An electrofishing survey took place in May 2018.
Overall, this fishery looks great. Bass and bluegill numbers look good and northern pike have been stocked a few times in the past years, so though not abundant, don’t be surprised if you hook into one of these toothy fish. Common carp were also captured but not overly abundant. Black crappie and golden shiner have been sampled in previous surveys. Black crappie were abundant in the 2014 sample with 20% of the catch measuring longer than nine inches.
Additional Lake Information: Electric motors are allowed and a boat ramp is available.
Contact Information: Forest Preserve District of Kane County 630-232-5980IDNR Fisheries Biologist, Andy Plauck815-675-2386 ext. 214
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