The following table lists the top fishing locations along the Illinois River along with the most abundant fish species. Each location below can be located in the map above. (Data provided the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.)

Illinois River Fish Species

The most common gamefish targeted by anglers include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, drum, crappie species, walleye and saugeye. Other popular species include bullheads and a variety of panish, including bluegills and green sunfish.

Fishing Tips by Species

You’ll find fish throughout the Illinois River, but knowing where to fish and proven techniques for each species will improve your catch rate.

Crappie

Black and white crappie are found throughout the Illinois River. While both fish are noticeably different in appearance, the same bait and fishing methods are used to catch them. To catch crappie you want to fish near cover and structure. Some of the best spots to catch crappie are next to submerged stumps and along side brush piles.

The best method to target crappie is to fish a small minnow hooked high on the back suspended about two feet below a bobber. During the early spring, nightcrawlers and small worms are another great bait for catching crappie. Pre-spawn, from the beginning of April through May, ledhead jigs and spinners fished alone, or with a a lip-hooked minnow, will get crappie biting.

Early spring, from March through the end of May, and again starting in fall, are the best times to fish crappie along the Illinois River.

Sunfish

Sunfish are abundant throughout the Illinois River. You’ll find bluegill, warmouth, green sunfish and few pumpkinseeds in the slower moving waters, lakes and sloughs. Like crappie, sunfish prefer areas where there is ample cover. Fish next to submerged stumps, brush piles and weed beds for best results.

Fish just off the bottom using a small hook baited with a worm. A simple bobber attached to your line or a slip float rig will help maintain your bait at the correct depth. You can also use crickets, grasshoppers and other local insects for bait. When ice fishing, wax worms are effective.

White and Yellow Bass

White and yellow bass one of the only bass species that are native to the Illinois River. White bass are larger and more abundant than yellow bass in most areas throughout the river. Starved Rock pool is one of the few locations where yellow bass rival white bass in numbers. Both bass species thrive where there is current and are most common in the river’s tailwaters.

White and yellow bass are taken using jigs fished in the current below dams, rough water behind large rocks and other obstructions found throughout the main channel, as well as the calmer water along the banks. In addition to jigs, white and yellow bass will readily take minnow like spinners and artificial lures, including fliptail worms on jig head, blade baits, in-line spinners and cicada jigs. If you’re lucky enough to spot a school of minnows breaking the surface, there’s usually a white or yellow bass just beneath them. Cast your minnow lure and you’ll likely get a bite.

The best time of day to fish white and yellow bass are the early morning or evening during the cooler hours. During the heat of the day, fishing the deeper water just off the bottom with a minnow or artificial lure that resembles a minnow is effective. May and August tend to be the best months to fish white and yellow bass on the Illinois River.

Largemouth Bass

Largemouth bass are a favorite trophy catch for anglers fishing the Illinois River. They’re found throughout the river but tend to congregate in the main channel and lake habitats along the main channel. Largemouths stick close to underwater cover such as stumps, weed beds and other vegetation where they can hide and wait for prey.

Largemouth bass are sight feeders. They are attracted by movement. Top lures for bass fishing the Illinois include plastic worms and spinners. Attaching a live minnow to a spinner is a sure fire way to get the attention of a largemouth bass. May, June and September are reported to yield the highest catch rates for largemouths. During the heat of the summer, fishing early morning or later afternoon/evening is best.

Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth Bass are plentiful in the Illinios River, but not as common as Largemouths. Smallmouth are most abundant in localized stretches of the river north of Peoria. Many of the same lures to catch Largemouths will also work for Smallmouth bass. Jigs, spinners, spoons and plastics worms are favorites of anglers targeting smallmouth bass in the Illinois, but crawdads and frogs will also work. Early morning and late evening when temperatures are cooler is ideal for fishing smallmouths.

The Powertorn Cooling Lake a couple miles downstream from Peoria offers possibly the best smallmouth fishing on the river in my opinion. Fish the rocky shorelines using stickbaits, plastic grubs and tube jigs and you’ll catch some lunkers.

Walleye and sauger

Walleye and sauger are two favorites for anglers fishing the Illinois River. They’re not as abundant as other fish species, but they’re fun to find and fish. Weighing in at up to 8 pounds walleye are larger than saugeye that max the scales at about 5 pounds. Walleye in Illinois can reach over 24″.

One of the popular (and effective) lure combinations for targeting walleye and sauger is a minnow hooked through the head with a jig fished about 12″ off the bottom using a three way swivel rig or a mullet type rig. Fishing minnows or lead head jigs alone is also popular.

The tailwaters of Starved Rock Dam is one of the most popula locations for fishing walleye and sauger. Spring is the best time of year to target both species and it’s also when anglers show up in numbers. The tailwaters can also be fished throughout the winter since the current keeps the river from freezing over. Many angler swear they catch the largest walleye from Starved Rock Dam during the dead of winter.

Some of the best sauger fishing is just before the spring runoff about a mile downstream of where Interstate 39 crosses the Illinois River via the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Bridge. Target the deeper wholes where wintering sauger hold up using a vertical presentation with a fliptail worm jig or blade bait.

Frehswater Drum

Freshwater Drum, including white perch, silver perch and sheepshead, is another popular target of anglers fishing the Illinois. Drum prefer water current and are most commonly found in tailwaters and main channel borders along the Illinois River.

Drums will take a variety of natural baits including worms, minnows, and shrimp fished on the bottom in areas where there is current, as well as the bottom of the river’s larger lakes. The cooler months of spring and fall are the best time of year to target drum.

Channel and Flathead Catfish

You’ll find catfish throughout the Illinois River wherever there is amble underwater cover including submerged stumps, fallen trees, and log jams. Channel cats in particular like to hole up along the banks anywhere there are deep holds where they can hide.

Catfish hunt and feed primarily scent. If you want get a catfish on the end of your line, prepare baits that generate a strong odor. Effective baits include cheese baits, blood baits, chicken livers, even hot dogs. They’ll also take shrimp, nightcrawlers, crayfish and variety of concoctions such as doughballs. Baits fished on a treble hook on the bottom using a sliding or slip sinker rig is an effective presentation. When targeting flatheads, using larger bait and hooks.

Your average Illinois River catfish is going to weigh between 2 and 10 pounds, with the occassional channel cat weighing in at over 15 pounds and flathead tipping the scale at 30 pounds.

Just as fishing for other gamefish starts to slump in July, fishing for catfish is just picking up. July through September if prime time for targeting catfish in the Illinois River. You can fish for channel cats and flatheads during the day, and throughout the night.

Bullheads

The Illinois River is home to black, yellow, and to a lesser degree, brown bullheads. The most common, and effective, bait for targeting bullheads is a nice juicy earthworm. You can fish a worm suspended under a bobber near the bottom, or directly on the bottom without a bobber. Grubs, shrimp, liver and well-prepared doughballs will also catch bullheads. Like channel cats, bullheads also feed throughout the night.

Common Carp

While not a popular gamefish among anglers, Illinois River has it good share of carp. You can wet your line anywhere along the Illinois with the right bait and pull out a carp. In recent years, the carp has grown in popularity as a gamefish due to their size, fighting prowess and viability as tablefare.

Fish on or near the bottom using worms, corn, or doughballs on a treble hook. Carp are fished throughout the spring, summer and fall.