Ralph Loos

Reigniting Dutchman Lake’s channel catfish has been a goal of the Illinois DNR, as the agency stocked 1,500 of the fish in 2023. That stocking featured channel cats in the 4- to 7-inch range, providing them a solid start in the 118-acre southern Illinois lake.
Dutchman Lake, located north of Vienna, offers quiet angling. Some might even call it serene. But there are plenty of fish, thanks to some solid habitat.

A fish kill in 2024 at Ramsey Lake appears to have had the most effect on bluegill and redear sunfish populations, according to DNR’s most recent survey of the lake.
But channel catfish and largemouth bass continue to thrive.

A 17.5-inch, 3.7-pound white crappie was brought to an Illinois DNR fisheries biologist for weighing and identifying. That followed a 16.5-inch, 3-pound black crappie being caught a few years ago, raising eyebrows and confirming what DNR biologists have been saying about Lake Sangchris: it’s an excellent crappie destination.