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335-acre reservoir near Charleston. The lake tops out around 14 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Traced from the shoreline, Charleston Lake runs 331 acres with 3.3 miles of edge. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1.3) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. Tip to tip the water measures near 1.1 mi with a 0.7-mi widest point. The water lies in Coles County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Lake Paradise, 16 mi west of here.
Early season saugeye use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 14 ft, then a winter hold in 4 to 14 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 10 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (10 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (13 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Start shallow in spring: white bass & hybrids sit in 3 to 14 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 4 to 14 ft covers summer, 4 to 14 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for white bass & hybrids in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (13 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: channel catfish in 3 to 12 ft. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 14 ft, wintering in 4 to 14 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 13 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (13 ft) | |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dusk | Deep basin (13 ft) | |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (13 ft) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 2 to 10 ft. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 14 ft, wintering in 4 to 14 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 4 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (4 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Break off the point (10 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 14 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 14 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (13 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 14 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 14 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Deep basin (13 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Charleston Lake also holds white bass (4 to 14 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Charleston Lake carries 8 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 13 ft down.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Illinois waters are set by the Illinois DNR — and special regulations can apply to Charleston Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Illinois fishing regulations →
Charleston Lake is about 14 ft (4 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target saugeye, white bass & hybrids, channel catfish, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, white bass on Charleston Lake.
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for saugeye in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For saugeye, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Charleston Lake is regulated by the Illinois DNR. Check the official Illinois regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Lake Paradise 16 mi · Embarras River 17 mi · Walnut Point Lake 17 mi · Lake Mattoon 19 mi · Lincoln Trail State Park Lake 24 mi · Lake Shelbyville 28 mi · Sam Parr Lake 31 mi · Green Valley Lake 34 mi, IN · Sara Lake 35 mi · Funk Lake 35 mi, IN · Bell Pond 37 mi, IN · Newton Lake 39 mi
See how Charleston Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Illinois · best white bass lakes in Illinois · best saugeye lakes in Illinois · best crappie lakes in Illinois
Browse all Illinois fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.