Big hybrids migrate out of the Illinois River and stack up in the tailwaters of the Wilmington dam. It is about 45-miles southeast of St. Louis. We found the hottest new rivers, lakes, and streams—one for every state—to catch big bass, trout, walleye, catfish, and more. We'll tell you nine great Illinois fisheries - one river and eight lakes - where you'll find good striper and hybrid striper fishing. This can be an effective way to catch stripers. In late June and through July, he begins drift-fishing using live bait. He uses a map and depthfinder to locate long, sloping flats. -fish per day creel. Knowing the best time of day to fish for bass helps you select the bass fishing lures that will be the most productive. For more information, call (815) 942-6352. "The best fishing is during a full moon," he said. For more information, call (815) 357-1608. If the fish are deep, he uses a weight on the short line to keep the lure in productive water. During the early part of the year, concentrate your efforts between the east boat ramp and the west arm of the lake, and especially around the dam. one of the best striped-bass fishing holes in the state. BALDWIN LAKE Only a handful of anglers are aware of how good the striper fishing is at Baldwin Lake. Some of our state's best striper and hybrid striper anglers also will share with you tips and techniques they use to boat these fish. Made the run to Oklahoma to the Lower Ilinois River for Rainbow Trout and Striped Bass. He keeps a daily record of his catches. We have just had ANOTHER state-record breaking catch, making seven recorder breakers in 2017! The prior state record was caught below Eufaula Dam and wasn't broken until just a few years ago. "I just cast it out and let it fall, then raise my rod and give it a couple of pops and let it fall again," the Benton resident said. A few pure stripers in the 30- to 40-pound-class were also collected. And with a little searching, Mattoon can provide anglers with the … Fall sees hybrids corralling baitfish off points, over humps and bars, and in the backs of coves. I use jerkbaits on top, twitching them and walking the dog, or use a lipless crankbait and let it sink 4 to 5 feet before reeling it in. I've had days when I've caught a limit of nice fish and been back at the dock in 45 minutes.". Now it's back. Dr. David Wells, a Red Bud physician, has been fishing the lake for stripers since 1985. Lake Shelbyville in Illinois is said to be one of the best lakes for bass fishing in the United States. April and May are the top months. There also is a 50-horsepower limit on the lake. "I let out 20 to 30 feet of line and go slow with a trolling motor or just drift and let the fish swim.". However, he pointed out that state-record size pure stripers weighing 35 to 43 pounds live in the Grundy County lake. JACKSONVILLE LAKE This 450-acre lake has a great population of hybrid stripers. There are plenty of bowhunters who opt for the dependability of fixed-blade designs. LAKE MATTOON Although the 2005 Status of Striped Bass/Hybrid Striped Bass in Illinois would rate overall fishing prospects in this 1,050-acre reservoir eight miles south west of Mattoon as just fair, some large hybrids call this reservoir home. The DNR has been stocking - mostly hybrids, but some pure stripers - into the lake since the 1980s. Baldwin is a 2,000-acre lake north of the town of Baldwin, IL in Randolph County. Boat anglers are required to have a working gas-powered motor while on the water. "Despite the number and size of these fish, most are caught are by anglers fishing for walleyes," said Larry LaJeone, Exelon's fisheries biologist. Tactical Bassin - Bass Fishing Blog. It also produced some of the biggest sand bass around. A recent fish kill, however, revealed good numbers of fish greater than 20 inches, and anglers have reported fish as large as 15 pounds. Bowhunter Editor Curt Wells had an exciting visit with Mark Hayes, design engineer for Mathews, as the pair looked at the new V3 27 and V3 31 bows. "Stripers bite better by day during a new moon and at night during a full moon. Honest-to-goodness, 3-pound sand bass are a rarity in most The best fishing for stripers in the 240-acre Pike County lake comes by trolling deep-running lures in the open water near the dam, but some fish are caught by casting into areas where they're feeding on shad near the surface at dusk. By far the largest water for fishing in Illinois, Lake Michigan offers the … When attaching a squid to a hook, pull the squid’s spine out and thread the line through it. Striped bass and hybrid striped bass don't occupy the same habitat as most other game species. I use heavy bass fishing tackle, including a rod that is at least 6 1/2 feet long, and 17- to 20-pound-test line. For more information, call (217) 935-8722. At the turn of the fall season, striped bass follow shad into smaller streams and feed vigorously. These two water ways produce some of Oklahoma’s finest Striped bass fishing. GORE — As we headed up the Lower Illinois River, that ole' country and western song "Cool, Clear Water" kept spinning in my mind. Coffeen Lake is 1,100 acres. You can fish along the 273 miles of Illinois River for Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, White Bass, Brown Bullhead, White Crappie, and more. For more information, call (217) 234-3611, SANGCHRIS LAKE Biologist Dan Stephenson said that although you probably won't find numbers of stripers over 20 pounds, Sangchris Lake in Sangamon and Christian counties southwest of Springfield is still the state's premier striper lake. "Stripers can make long runs. "Start with a strong reel capable of holding a minimum of 150 yards of line," he said. Get to know the size of the shad they're feeding on. Miller said the best fishing is on the north side of the center dyke, which anglers call "striper alley." There is a 17-inch minimum on all hybrids, with three fish per day. Boaters are limited to 25-horsepower motors. We have been fishing this bay for over 15 years. A year-class of fish weighing about 8 pounds dominates the population. The experimental stocking of stripers at Lake Texoma and Lake Keystone in 1965 paid dividends. Kelseyville, California, United States About Blog A bass fishing … Keep your camping crew well-fed with this hearty Venison and Barley Stew Recipe that is... New for 2021, here's a look at the new Rage Trypan NC, Nockturnal Shift Nock, Carbon Express Maxima RED Contour and D-Stroyer PileDRIVER arrows. Boat ramps are available, as are picnic and park facilities. Spoons, jigs, live shad, chrome Rat-L-Traps and crankbaits catch the most fish. The best fishing the 18,900-acre reservoir begins about June and continues through the summer. District fisheries biologist Barry Newman said the water in the 2,000-acre lake gets too warm and the catch rate drops dramatically during summer months. These are fast-growing fish, so even small ones can weigh 3 to 4 pounds, and really big ones can top 25 pounds. Striper Fishing Hot spots Places to Fish - Saltwater striped bass and Freshwater striped bass fishing locations and impoundments in the United states. District fisheries biologist Mike Jones said the DNR has created a good population of big fish in the lake. Schott starts fishing Otter Lake's flats in late March and continues through early June, using jerkbaits and lipless crankbaits. The average hybrid in the 2,000-acre cooling lake will be from 3 to 6 pounds, but fish in the mid-teens turn up regularly. Otter Lake has a 115-horsepower limit. It may be 125 years old, but the .30-30 Winchester retains its status thanks to modern loads. 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