Local fishing enthusiasts with a hankering to catch catfish are truly blessed. Few areas of our state have more angling opportunities for this species than right here in the River Bend. And even with all the opportunities, certain Illinois Department of Natural Resources' management programs...
Catfish on the rocks might sound a bit like some sort of Cajun cocktail, but for anglers at Carlyle Lake it takes on a whole different meaning. It's nearly catfish spawning time at Carlyle and other lakes throughout the state. Anglers here know these fish move to the waters along the rip-rap shorelines...
Among many of Illinois varied angling fans, fishing for catfish is considered something of a lazy-man's sport. These poor misguided anglers think catching these fish merely means loafing along some stretch of shoreline and waiting for a hungry catfish to swallow some sort of very smelly bait. They...
Most any dedicated crappie angler knows the arrival of the annual dogwood bloom always marks the start of the annual crappie bite. The rapidly warming waters trigger in this species an urge to begin the annual reproductive process. Hoards of hungry crappies that seemingly disappeared from our waters...
Despite the wet weather, it has only temporarily slowed the exceptional crappie fishing action at our area's large Corps of Engineer reservoirs. However, the return of springlike conditions promises this action will soon resume. Depending upon the specific lake, anglers are currently reporting fai...
Though recent temperatures have been cooler than normal, anglers fishing the Carlyle Lake tailwaters are preparing for some truly hot action. Excellent catches of fish will soon be coming from this popular angling area. In fact, this is something that happens virtually every year at this time. Accordin...
Within a few weeks, virtually every area pond, lake, river and stream will begin offering good action for the popular bluegill. Local anglers are fortunate that most area waters boast a bountiful supply of these prolific species. Landing a bucketful of bragging-size panfish usually requires little...
With occasional spurts of cold weather still sweeping through the area, it seems odd to be announcing the start of the camping season. Still, the 2019 Carlyle Lake and Lake Shelbyville camping seasons officially kick off very soon. This season opener is a big event for those longing to again si...
Though many of the lakes and ponds in the fall catchable trout season continue to produce catches of these popular fish, a new shipment of hard-fighting rainbow trout will soon arrive for some of these waters. Illinois rainbow trout anglers converge on numerous special fishing locations statewide...
If predictions by Illinois Department of Natural Resource’s fisheries biologists prove to be true, catfish anglers heading to Carlyle and Rend lakes are likely to have one of their best years ever. “The average channel catfish at Carlyle Lake appears to have become even larger,”...
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