Best yellow perch lakes in Illinois
8 Illinois waters hold yellow perch, 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. The premier eating panfish. Roams soft-bottom flats and weed edges in schools — a daytime biter.
- Lake Michigan — Illinois and Indiana Shore — 258 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon
- Devils Kitchen Lake — 90 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
- Carthage Reservoir — 18 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Saugeye, Crappie, Bluegill
- McCullom Lake — 10 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill
- Diamond Lake — 25 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill
- Tampier Lake — 15 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
- Powder Horn Lake — 19 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill
- Sand Lake — 32 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill
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When to fish yellow perch in Illinois
- Spring 3–12 ft — Spawning runs to shallow weeds and gravel — find the school, stay on it.
- Summer 10–30 ft — Schools slide deeper to soft-bottom flats and deep weedlines.
- Fall 12–35 ft — Jumbo perch pod up on deep basin flats feeding on invertebrates.
- Winter 15–35 ft — A premier ice-fishing target — deep mud flats, small jigs.
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 striped bass lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best blue catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes
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