There are some lakes you visit because you want to catch fish, and there are others where you go because you never quite know what might be tugging on the other end of the line.<br
Evergreen Lake continues to offer central Illinois anglers a diverse fishery, with excellent opportunities for saugeye and muskies and more modest prospects for bass and crappies.
The 925-acre McLean County lake has long been
It may cover only 26 acres, but Citizens Lake packs plenty of fishing opportunity into a relatively small package.
Located along U.S. Route 34 on the west edge of Monmouth, the Warren County lake
Tucked into the rolling hills of the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge near Marion, Devils Kitchen Lake has earned a statewide reputation as one of Illinois’ premier bass lakes. But anglers who focus only on
Lake Sara has long been considered one of south-central Illinois’ hidden fishing gems, and recent fisheries surveys suggest the 640-acre reservoir continues to reward anglers seeking quality largemouth bass while offering consistent action for crappies,
More thav 5,400 largemouth bass fingerlings have been stocked so far in 2026 at Washington County Lake, part of an ongoing effort by DNR to return the southern Illinois water to its once-prominent status as
A handful of years after a major channel cat stocking, Lake Mattoon is showing signs that it could become a target destination for Illinois catfishermen.
DNR’s most recent survey of the 1,050-acre central Illinois
On a somewhat regular occasion, river fish and lake fish mingle in Des Plaines Lake and the Des Plaines River – but the two popular fishing water bodies should never be confused.
Des Plaines
Another big stocking of redear sunfish took place in Osprey Lake in 2025, continuing an effort to boost fishing in the collection of lakes that make up the Mautino State Fish and Wildlife Area.
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