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.
- 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
- Carlyle Lake — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #3: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Rend Lake — 31 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #4: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Lake Clinton — 45 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, CrappieWhy #5: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Lake Decatur — 28 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #6: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Sangchris Lake — 40 ft max · Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #7: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Cedar Lake — 45 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #8: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Lake Bloomington — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #9: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Lake Jacksonville — 36 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Heidecke Lake — 59 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #11: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Canton Lake — 35 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Forbes Lake — 28 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #13: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Sam Parr Lake — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugeyeWhy #14: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Lake George — 58 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #15: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Cedar Lake — 44 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #16: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
- Baldwin Lake — 48 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #17: 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 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 · Maine · New York · Massachusetts · Texas · Connecticut · California · Arizona · Mississippi · New Jersey · Alabama · North Carolina · Tennessee · Georgia · Virginia · Rhode Island · South Carolina · Maryland · Arkansas