Des Plaines River

Choose another river

Des Plaines River

©Illinois State Water Survey

Location: The Des Plaines River, the longest stream within the Chicago region, flows southward for 133 miles (105 miles in Illinois) through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. It eventually meets the Kankakee River southwest of Joliet to form the Illinois River, a significant tributary of the Mississippi River.

Des Plaines River Fishery Facts

(Click on image for expanded view.)

Description: At its widest point, the Des Plaines River is approximately 180 feet wide. The narrower sections are closer to 30 feet wide. The average width of the river is between 40 and 100 feet. Depth varies from location to location, but the average depth of the Des Plaines River is 3 feet during normal water levels.

The Des Plaines River is easily fished from shore, canoe/kayak or by wading. Much of the bottom is a combination of rock and silt, so care should be taken when wading.

Species	Rank	Fish Status
BLUEGILL	Good
CARP	Good
CRAPPIE	Good
LARGEMOUTH BASS	Good	Largemouth bass are taken most frequently in the main channel border and lake habitats.
NORTHERN PIKE	Excellent	Northern Pike are the primary sport fish in the upper Des Plaines River, commonly caught on spinnerbaits. Concentrate on fallen timber, eddies, current breaks and drop-offs.
ROCK BASS	Good
SMALLMOUTH BASS	Fair	Smallies are present, but not common
WALLEYE	Fair	Walleye are present, but not common and are more prominent in the lower Des Plaines River.

Note: The upper Des Plaines River runs primarily through forest preserve property of Cook County, IL and Lake County, IL. Much of the shoreline is on property owned by the Cook County Forest Preserve District and the Lake County Forest Preserve District. Some portions do run through land that is not publicly owned so please be aware of signs indicating private property. There are many access points on the river, as well as Kayak/Canoe launch points:

Click on image for expanded view.

River Access Areas

Van Patton Woods (near Wadsworth, IL)
Independence Grove (near Libertyville, IL)
Adler Memorial Park (near Libertyville, IL)
Riverside Park (near Libertyville, IL)
Red Top Park (near Libertyville, IL)
Half Day Forest Preserve (near Vernon Hills, IL)
Spring Lake Park (near Lincolnshire, IL)
Potawatomi Wood s(near Wheeling and Northbrook, IL)
Dam #1 Woods (near Wheeling, IL)
Allison Woods (Northbrook, IL)
Lake Avenue Woods – East (near Glenview and Mt. Prospect, IL)
Dam #2 Woods (near Mt. Prospect, IL)
Big Bend Lake (near Des Plaines, IL)
Northwestern Woods (near Des Plaines, IL)
Campground Road Woods (Des Plaines, IL)
Iroquois Woods/Touhy Dam (Park Ridge, IL)
Dam #4 Woods East (Park Ridge, IL)
Robinson Woods (Near Chicago, Rosemont, and Schiller Park, IL)
Schiller Woods (near Chicago and Schiller, Park, IL)
Thatcher Woods (near River Forest, IL)

Canoe/Kayak launch areas

Van Patton Woods Canoe Launch
Wadsworth Road Canoe Launch
Independence Grove Canoe Launch
Oak Spring Canoe Launch
Rt. 60 Canoe Launch Launch
Dam #2 Canoe Launch
Irving Park Launch

Des Plaines Fish and Wildlife Area Information

There were 45 tournaments held on this waterbody in 2018.

Species	Total Fish Caught
Common Carp	312
Largemouth Bass	1602
Smallmouth Bass	88

Top 5 Largemouth Bass caught on this waterbody in 2018 tournaments:

1 5.75 lbs

2 5.12 lbs

3 4.88 lbs

4 4.33 lbs

5 4.31 lbs

Top 5 Bag Weights of Largemouth Bass caught on this waterbody in 2018 tournaments:

1 255.49 lbs

2 170.69 lbs

3 160.94 lbs

4 135.97 lbs

5 132.30 lbs

Interested in participating in one of these public tournaments? Contact us with tournament ID for more information.

2019 Approved or Pending Tournaments
Start Date	End Date (if different from start)	ID	Approval	Ramp Location	Bank/Boat Hook/Bow	Max Boats	Species	Open to Public?
April-27		10975	Pending	Big Basin	boat hook	60	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	Yes
April-27		11620	Approved	Big Basin	boat hook	75	Largemouth Bass	Yes
April-28		11843	Approved	Big Basin	boat hook	30	Largemouth Bass	Yes
May-01		10857	Approved	Des Plaines SFWA	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass	Yes
May-04		13372	Approved	Big Basin	boat hook	50	Largemouth Bass	Yes
May-05		12088	Approved	Des Plaines SFWA	boat hook	50	Largemouth Bass	Yes
May-15		10864	Approved	Des Plaines SFWA	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass	Yes
May-19		13337	Approved	Big Basin	boat hook	15	Largemouth Bass	No
May-29		10872	Approved	Des Plaines SFWA	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass	Yes
June-02		11845	Approved	Big Basin	boat hook	30	Largemouth Bass	Yes
June-12		10880	Approved	Des Plaines SFWA	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass	Yes
June-23		11778	Approved	Big Basin	boat hook	15	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	No
June-26		10885	Approved	Des Plaines SFWA	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	Yes
July-07		11847	Approved	Big Basin	boat hook	30	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	Yes
July-10		10889	Approved	Des Plaines SFWA	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	Yes
July-13		12232	Approved	Des Plaines SFWA	boat hook	13	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass Spotted Bass	No
July-20		10866	Approved	Des Plaines SFWA	boat hook	20	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	No
July-21		11000	Approved	Des Plaines SFWA	boat hook	30	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	Yes
July-24		10891	Approved	Des Plaines SFWA	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	Yes
August-03		12983	Approved	Three Rivers Marina	boat hook	15	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	No
August-07		10899	Approved	Des Plaines SFWA	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	Yes
August-11		11849	Approved	Big Basin	boat hook	30	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	Yes
August-21		10905	Approved	Des Plaines SFWA	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	Yes
August-25		11850	Approved	Big Basin	boat hook	30	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	Yes
September-08		11007	Approved	Harborside Marina	boat hook	25	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	No
November-03		10841	Approved	Big Basin	boat hook	30	Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass	Yes
November-30		12654	Approved	Three Rivers Marina	bank hook	0	Common Carp	Yes

Choose another river