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Best smallmouth bass lakes in Illinois

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

1. Lake Michigan — Illinois and Indiana Shore — 258 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon
2. Lake Springfield — 22 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
3. Rock River — 15 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
4. Des Plaines River — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Channel Catfish
5. Lake Glenn Shoals — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
6. Kankakee River — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
7. Mackinaw River — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Longnose Gar
8. Fox River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
9. Lake Mattoon — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie
10. Shabbona Lake — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
11. Embarras River — 10 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Common Carp
12. Lincoln Trail State Park Lake — 38 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger
13. Kickapoo State Park Lake — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill

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 white bass & hybrids lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes

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