REGION 4 KIDS FISHING HOTSPOTS
Kincaid City Reservoir
Location- Christian County- 2 miles east of Kincaid on Route 104. This lake is owned by the Village of Kincaid.
Description- 31 acres in size with a maximum depth of 15 feet. Much of the shoreline is accessible.
Recreational Uses- Fishing, boating. No horsepower restriction. One lane gravel ramp.
Fish Species- Largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, common carp. The bluegill are excellent with some individuals up to 8". The largemouth bass and channel catfish populations are good. Trophy carp up to 20 pounds.
Angler Success Rates- Bluegill up to 30 per hour during spawning, mid-to-late May. Channel catfish very good Spring-Fall.
Loami City Reservoir
Location- Sangamon County; on the west side of Loami. The lake is owned by the Village of Loami.
Description- 10 acres in size with a maximum depth of 14 feet. The entire shoreline is accessible.
Recreational Uses- Fishing, picnicking. No boats allowed.
Fish Species- Largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish. The bluegill are very good with fish up to 7" common.
Angler Success Rates- 30 bluegill per hour are not uncommon during spawning in mid-to-late May. Bass and channel catfish good Spring-Fall.
Lake Williamsville
Location- Sangamon County; 1 mile east of Williamsville. The lake is owned by the village of Williamsville.
Description- 17 acres with a maximum depth of 14 feet. The entire shoreline is accessible via a footpath.
Recreational Uses- Fishing, picnicking. No boats allowed.
Fish Species- Largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish. The largemouth bass numbers are high. The bluegill are very good with individuals up to 7 ½ ".
Angler Success Rates- Bluegill can be caught at about 30 per hour during the spawn in late May. The largemouth bass are numerous, as are the channel catfish. Fishing should be good Spring-Fall
Ashland new and old reservoirs
Location- Northwest Morgan county; 3 miles southwest of Ashland. The lake is owned by the Village of Ashland
Description- The old reservoir is 5 acres completely accessible by bank fishermen. The new reservoir is 10 acres. Completely accessible to bank fishermen. Boats allowed, electric trolling motors only. One lane gravel ramp.
Recreational Uses- Fishing, picnicking. Boats allowed on the new reservoir
Fish Species- Bluegill, largemouth bass, redear sunfish and channel catfish.
Angler Success Rates- Bluegill in the old reservoir and redears sunfish are excellent in the new reservoir with catch rates up to 30 per hour. Bass and channel catfish are good Spring-Fall.
Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish
and Wildlife Area
(for more information contact the site at 217/452-7741)
Location- Cass county; 8 miles north of Ashland. Three reservoirs totaling 270 acres and an additional 10 ponds totaling approximately 15 acres.
Description- Prairie Lake- 210 acres with a path around the entire 13 mile shoreline for easy bank fishing access. Gridley Lake- 25 acres; footpath around the entire shoreline for easy access for bank fishermen. Drake Lake- 35 acres with a path around the entire shoreline for easy access. All three lakes are about a maximum of 45 feet deep. There are ten ponds on the site that have recently been renovated and re-stocked. For information about their location stop by the site office.
Recreational Uses- Fishing, boating including small sailboats on Prairie. All three lakes have concrete ramps. Prairie and Gridley have pavilions for picnicking or family get-togethers. There is camping on Prairie from primitive tent camping to RV hookups. Cabins are available too but reserve them early. Prairie and Gridley have handicapped fishing piers. Playgrounds are located at Prairie. 10 hp motor limit on Prairie and electric trolling motors only allowed on Gridley and Drake.
Fish Species- Largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish. There are muskies in Prairie Lake.
Angler Success Rates- Bluegill and redear sunfish can be caught at a rate of about 30 per hour during the spawn. Largemouth bass and channel catfish can be caught in good numbers Spring- Fall.
Mt. Pulaski Park District Lake
Location- Logan County 1 mile southeast of Mt. Pulaski.
Description- 20 acres in size with a maximum depth of 6 feet. The entire shoreline is accessible via footpath to bank angling.
Recreational Uses- Fishing, picnicking
Fish Species- Largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish
Angler Success Rates- Bluegill and redear sunfish up to 30 per hour during
spawn. High density stunted bass population so catch rates are high. Channel
catfish are good Spring-Fall.
White Hall City Lake (Public Cooperative)
Location- Greene County; 2 miles east of White Hall, IL. Located within Ross Park. This lake is owned by the City of White Hall.
Description- 34 acres in size, with a maximum depth of 31 feet. The lake has a shoreline length of 2.4 miles with the majority easily accessible by bank anglers.
Recreational Uses- Fishing, motor boating, camping, and picnicking are available at this site. The motor restriction is 5 hp, and the impoundment has one gravel boat ramp.
Fish Species- Channel Catfish, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Common Carp, White Crappie, Green Sunfish, Black Crappie, and Yellow Bass.
Angler Success Rates- Bluegill can be caught near a rate of 45 per hour.
Roodhouse Park Lake (Public Cooperative)
Location- Greene County; 1 mile southeast of Roodhouse, IL. Resides within Roodhouse Park. The impoundment is owned by the City of Roodhouse.
Description- 10 acres in size, with a maximum depth of 13 feet. The lake has a shoreline length of 0.9 miles with the majority easily accessible by bank anglers.
Recreational Uses- Fishing, motor boating, camping, and picnicking are available at this site. The motor restriction is trolling motor only, and the impoundment has one gravel boat ramp.
Fish Species- Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, and White Crappie.
Angler Success Rates- Bluegill can be caught near a rate of 45 per hour.
Terry Park Lake (Public Cooperative)
Location- Macoupin County; 1.5 miles east of Palmyra, IL. Located within Terry Park. This impoundment is owned by the City of Palmyra.
Description- 3.4 acres in size, with a maximum depth of 9 feet. The lake has a shoreline length of .55 miles with the majority easily accessed by bank anglers.
Recreational Uses- Fishing, and picnicking are available at this site. No boats are allowed on this water body.
Fish Species- Channel Catfish, Bluegill, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, and Yellow Bass.
Angler Success Rates- Bluegill can be caught near a rate of 45 fish per hour.
Mt. Olive Old City Lake (Public
Cooperative)
Location- Macoupin County; 1 mile northeast of Mt. Olive, IL. This impoundment is owned by the City of Mt. Olive.
Description- 30.6 acres in size, with a maximum depth of 29 feet. The lake has a shoreline length of 3 miles with a fair portion accessible to bank anglers.
Recreational Uses- Fishing, motor boating, and picnicking are available at this site. The motor restriction is trolling motor only, and the impoundment has one concrete boat ramp.
Fish Species- Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Green Sunfish, and Black Crappie.
Madison, St. Clair, and Bond Counties
Gordon Moore Park Lake
Madison County, Alton, IL
This 13 acre Public Lake has good shoreline access. The lake has a great
population of small sunfish and very high numbers of channel catfish.
Through June and July the lake is stocked with catfish and hybrid sunfish
as part of the Urban Fishing Program.
Highland Old City Lake
Madison County, Highland, IL
This is an 18 acre public lake located at Silver Lake Park. The lake has
good shoreline access and a good population of various sunfish. The lake
also has a good catfish population and gets rainbow trout stocked in the
fall.
Patriots Park Lake
Bond County, Greenville, IL
This is a 25 acre public lake with good shoreline access. The lake has
high numbers of small sunfish and catfish. This lake also gets rainbow
trout stocking in the fall.
Mascoutah City Reservoir
St. Clair County, Mascoutah IL
This is an 18 acre public lake with great shoreline access. The lake has
a good population of bluegill, crappie, channel catfish, and trophy sized
carp.
District 12
The following lakes in District 12 were selected as “Kid’s Fishing Lakes” where the fishing can be “hot” and the action is often “fast and furious.” All three of the lakes identified are located in West-Central Illinois located in the hilly country of the land between the rivers.
Pittsfield Lake - Located in Pike County, Illinois, Pittsfield Lake is a 240 acre, artificial impoundment owned by the City of Pittsfield. Largemouth bass, hybrid striped bass, walleye, catfish and crappie are favorite catches of the local anglers. However, the crappie provide the most fun for bank anglers. Crappie up to 9.0 inches are plentiful. Catches of 30 - 40 fish per hour are not uncommon. The lake maintains a 9 inch minimum for keepers on crappie, however, most enjoy the catch and release method. Bank angling access is mostly on the east shoreline of the lake. Camping is permitted and a 25 Hp limit on motors.
Siloam Springs State Park Kid’s
Pond
- Located in Adams and Brown Counties, Siloam Springs State Park
and lakes provide an ideal experience for not only the children, but the
entire family as well. Driving thru the park, visitors often see and must
stop for, the white-tailed deer and wild turkeys present in the area.
Hummingbirds, kingfishers and red-tailed hawks are common sighting here.
The main lake offers largemouth bass, redear sunfish, channel catfish
and bluegills. Rainbow trout are also stocked in the spring and fall.
The children’s pond, located near the entrance of the Park, offers
some nice sized redear sunfish and bluegills. Catches of 10 -15 per half
hour are common. Access to the children’s pond is nearly 100 percent.
There is camping and boat rental (big lake).
Weinberg-King Lake- Located in Schuyler County, Illinois, this small 3 acre
lake offers some good largemouth bass and channel catfish fishing. Good
habitat and little fishing pressure have combined to improve this fishery.
However, the bluegill population needs to be thinned out. Hundreds of
bluegill in the 4 - 6 inch range can be seen feeding outside the shoreline
vegetation. Catches of 10 - 15 fish per half hour are common if the right
bait is used. Bank anglers have 100 percent access the entire lake.
