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Fishing Des Plaines River: what the data says
Riverside to Channahon: Chicagoland's comeback river. smallmouth and pike between the old dam sites. The river tops out around 12 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Des Plaines River
Spring smallmouth bass on Des Plaines River hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer fish stay in 4 to 12 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 12 ft. The spot to know is Riffle & run (mile 2.5), a rock pile in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Northern Pike fishing at Des Plaines River
Spring northern pike on Des Plaines River hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 4 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 12 ft. The spot to know is DuPage River confluence (Channahon), a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Des Plaines River
Spring largemouth bass on Des Plaines River hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 12 ft. The spot to know is Outside-bend hole (mile 0.6), a creek channel in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Des Plaines River
Spring channel catfish on Des Plaines River hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer fish stay in 4 to 12 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 12 ft. The spot to know is DuPage River confluence (Channahon), a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday |
Freshwater Drum fishing at Des Plaines River
Spring freshwater drum on Des Plaines River hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 12 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 12 ft. The spot to know is Outside-bend hole (mile 0.6), a creek channel in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for freshwater drum in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening. Summer baits: a jig + crawler combo or a small crankbait (slow) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Jig + curly tail (bounced), Small blade bait |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Jig + crawler combo, Small crankbait (slow) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday | Blade bait (vertical), Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (slow) |
Common Carp fishing at Des Plaines River
In spring, common carp run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 2 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 12 ft. The spot to know is DuPage River confluence (Channahon), a inflow / creek mouth in about 8 ft of water that rates prime for common carp in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Lock Number 1 tailrace: dam tailrace, around 10 ft
- Lock Number 3 tailrace: dam tailrace, around 10 ft
- Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 10 ft
- Lowhead weir tailrace: dam tailrace, around 10 ft
- Brandon Road Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 10 ft
- Dam tailrace: dam tailrace, around 10 ft
- Lowhead weir tailrace: dam tailrace, around 10 ft
- Lockport Controlling Works tailrace: dam tailrace, around 10 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 0.6): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 9.9): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 34.8): creek channel, around 9 ft
- Outside-bend hole (mile 36.6): creek channel, around 9 ft
- DuPage River confluence (Channahon): inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Tailout eddy (mile 24.2): eddy pocket, around 7 ft
Common questions
How deep is Des Plaines River?
Des Plaines River is about 12 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Des Plaines River?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, channel catfish, freshwater drum, common carp on Des Plaines River.
Where is the best fishing spot on Des Plaines River?
Riffle & run (mile 2.5) is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Des Plaines River?
For smallmouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Fox River · Kankakee River · Boulder Lake · Shabbona Lake · Lake Michigan - Illinois and Indiana Shore · Olson Lake
See how Des Plaines River stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Illinois · best smallmouth bass lakes in Illinois · best northern pike lakes in Illinois · best channel catfish lakes in Illinois
Browse all Illinois fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.