Best sauger lakes in Illinois
20 Illinois waters list sauger (official records or labelled estimates), 7 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The river-running cousin of the walleye. Built for current and muddy water — channel edges, wing dams and the deep holes below every dam.
- Lake Springfield — 22 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites
- Mississippi River Pool 19 (Keokuk) — 43 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugerWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
- Illinois River — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugerWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 14 public access sites
- Mississippi River Pool 13 (Clinton) — 53 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugerWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
- Lake Glenn Shoals — 24 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, CrappieWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
- Illinois Waterway — Dresden Island Pool — 31 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
- Lincoln Trail State Park Lake — 38 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
- Illinois Waterway — Brandon Road Pool — 25 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, SaugerWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
…plus 12 more Illinois waters holding sauger.
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How to use this ranking
The order is a map-planning ranking, not a claim about today's fish population. It favors larger mapped waters and gives survey-backed contours a three-times data-quality boost. Agency population surveys, current regulations, access and recent conditions should make the final decision.
Compare maximum depth across 37,233 lake records · See Illinois waters with public access data
When to fish sauger in Illinois
- Spring 4–18 ft — The famous tailwater run — fish stack below dams and on gravel bars in current seams.
- Summer 10–30 ft — Main-channel ledges and deep sand/gravel flats with current.
- Fall 12–35 ft — Fish pod up tight on channel structure — find one and you've found fifty.
- Winter 15–45 ft — The deepest holes below dams hold winter sauger by the hundreds.
Also in Illinois: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best saugeye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best striped bass lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best blue catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes
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