← Illinois fishing maps

Best smallmouth bass lakes in Illinois

29 Illinois waters hold smallmouth bass, 9 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. Current- and rock-loving fighter. Lives around gravel, boulders and hard-bottom structure.

1. Lake Michigan — Illinois and Indiana Shore — 258 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Chinook Salmon, Coho SalmonWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 10 public access sites
2. Lake Shelbyville — 65 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #2: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
3. Lake Springfield — 22 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites
4. Carlyle Lake — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
5. Rock River — 15 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 14 public access sites
6. Lake Decatur — 28 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
7. Lake Glenn Shoals — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, CrappieWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
8. Kinkaid Lake — 80 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
9. Lake Mattoon — 28 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Saugeye, CrappieWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
10. Kankakee River — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
11. Mackinaw River — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Longnose GarWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
12. Illinois Waterway — Dresden Island Pool — 31 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
13. Des Plaines River — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Channel CatfishWhy #13: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 1 public access site
14. Fox River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #14: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 18 public access sites
15. Shabbona Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
16. Embarras River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Common CarpWhy #16: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
17. Lincoln Trail State Park Lake — 38 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
18. Lake Bloomington — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #18: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
19. Evergreen Lake — 48 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugeyeWhy #19: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
20. Kickapoo State Park Lake — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
21. Heidecke Lake — 59 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #21: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
22. Canton Lake — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #22: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
23. Lake George — 58 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #23: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
24. Lake Paradise — 19 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugeyeWhy #24: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
25. Baldwin Lake — 48 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #25: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached

…plus 4 more Illinois waters holding smallmouth bass.

Find the closest smallmouth bass waters to you →

When to fish smallmouth bass in Illinois

• Spring 3–12 ft — Gravel and rock flats near deep water; spawning happens on hard bottom.
• Summer 10–30 ft — Offshore rock humps and deep points; smallmouth suspend near bait.
• Fall 8–25 ft — Feeding hard for winter — long tapering points and rocky drops.
• Winter 20–45 ft — Deep, vertical presentations near rocky wintering holes.

Also in Illinois: best largemouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best saugeye 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

Smallmouth Bass elsewhere: Ontario · Wisconsin · Minnesota · British Columbia · Québec · Michigan · Maine · New Hampshire · Montana · New York · Wyoming · Massachusetts · New Brunswick · Washington · Indiana · North Dakota · Iowa · Texas · Ohio · Connecticut · Nebraska · Missouri · Vermont · California · Oklahoma · South Dakota · Utah · Arizona · Colorado · New Mexico · Nova Scotia · Kansas · West Virginia · Idaho · New Jersey · Kentucky · Oregon · Tennessee · North Carolina · Nevada · Manitoba · Virginia · Rhode Island · Pennsylvania · Arkansas · Maryland