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Best striped bass lakes in Illinois

17 Illinois waters hold striped bass, 1 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. Open-water nomad that follows shad and herring schools; loves current, points and cool depths.

1. Lake Shelbyville — 65 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
2. Lake Springfield — 22 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
3. Carlyle Lake — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
4. Rend Lake — 31 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
5. Lake Clinton — 45 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Crappie
6. Lake Decatur — 28 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
7. Sangchris Lake — 40 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
8. Cedar Lake — 45 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
9. Heidecke Lake — 59 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
10. Lake Bloomington — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
11. Forbes Lake — 28 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, Bluegill
12. Baldwin Lake — 48 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
13. Lake Jacksonville — 36 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish
14. Canton Lake — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
15. Sam Parr Lake — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Saugeye
16. Lake George — 58 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger
17. Cedar Lake — 44 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish

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When to fish striped bass in Illinois

• Spring 5–20 ft — Fish push up creeks and rivers; chase the bait to moving water.
• Summer 25–60 ft — Stripers hold in the cool deep layer — live bait or trolling over the thermocline.
• Fall 10–35 ft — Fall blitz season — follow the birds and breaking fish.
• Winter 20–50 ft — Big schools stack on channel bends with bait; slow presentations.

Also in Illinois: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth 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 yellow perch lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best blue catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes

Striped Bass elsewhere: Québec · Texas · Arizona · California · Mississippi · Tennessee · Georgia · Alabama · Virginia · North Carolina · Maryland · Arkansas · South Carolina