Lake Profile

It’s rarely among the small group of Illinois lakes boasting about its big flathead catfish, but Lake Murphysboro may soon enjoy a day when catfishermen around the state say, “Let’s try to find a monster

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

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

DNR’s reports on the Chain do not typically specify individual lakes, but Pistakee’s varied depths and populations of walleyes, white bass, and channel catfish attracts many. Although the lake’s average depth is only six feet,

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

The push to boost catfish and redear sunfish populations in the collection of lakes that make up the Mautino State Fish and Wildlife Area continued this year, with Illinois DNR stocking 450 channel cats and

Largemouth bass, muskies, and crappies continue to be on the edge of “breaking out” as spotlight fish at Canton Lake.
But the stage still belongs to catfish.

A small lake that had seen steady growth in its muskie and largemouth bass populations took a step back in August 2020.
Four years later, the lake appears to remain in “comeback” mode.

The focus on growing Lake Centralia’s channel catfish population has continued, with DNR stocking 1,500 of the fish in 2023 and 900 more in 2024. The channel cats, ranged from 8 to 10 inches, and