Best saugeye lakes in Illinois
13 Illinois waters hold saugeye, 6 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Walleye × sauger hybrid stocked across midwestern reservoirs. Loves stained water, wind-blown mud lines and dam riprap — bites better in daylight than a walleye.
- Lake Shelbyville — 65 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Lake Springfield — 22 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites
- Lake Decatur — 28 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Lake Mattoon — 28 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Saugeye, CrappieWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Charleston Lake — 14 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Saugeye, CrappieWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
- Homer Lake — 16 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
- Dawson Lake — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
- Evergreen Lake — 48 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugeyeWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Carthage Reservoir — 18 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
- Forbes Lake — 28 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Sam Parr Lake — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugeyeWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Lake Paradise — 19 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugeyeWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Lake Storey — 33 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugeyeWhy #13: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
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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 saugeye in Illinois
- Spring 3–12 ft — Stack below dams, on riprap and gravel shoals as water warms; muddy water is your friend.
- Summer 8–22 ft — Shallower than walleye all summer — fish the first breakline and wind-blown points.
- Fall 8–28 ft — Creek-channel edges and dam faces; the colder it gets, the better the daytime bite.
- Winter 12–30 ft — The premier winter bite in saugeye reservoirs — deep channel bends and tailwaters.
Also in Illinois: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best sauger 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
Saugeye elsewhere: Ohio · Nebraska · Oklahoma · Colorado · Kansas