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Riverside to Lockport: Chicagoland's comeback river. Smallmouth and pike on the natural water above the navigation pools. The river tops out around 12 ft. Contours on this water are modeled from its actual shoreline and max depth. Good for finding likely water, never for navigation. Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The drawn water covers 774 acres wrapped in 49.7 miles of bank. With a shoreline index of 12.8, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Nothing on this chart breaks 15 ft, which makes the whole surface littoral: weeds, bait and ambush cover everywhere. Tip to tip the water measures near 21.9 mi with a 3.6-mi widest point. DuPage County claims this one. Tampier Lake sits 4 mi southeast — the closest neighbouring chart.
Spring smallmouth bass on Des Plaines River hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 4 to 12 ft in summer, 4 to 12 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Riffle & run (mile 2.5) — rock pile, 4 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Riffle & run (mile 2.5) (4 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Riffle & run (mile 2.5) (4 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Riffle & run (mile 2.5) (4 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 24.2) (7 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spring northern pike on Des Plaines River hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 12 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 12 ft. The chart's best answer is Lemont flats — weed flat, 3 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Lemont flats (3 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Lemont flats (3 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Lemont flats (3 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Lemont flats (3 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 4 to 12 ft, then a winter hold in 4 to 12 ft. Put Lemont flats first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Lemont flats (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Lemont flats (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Lockport reach (9 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Lockport reach (9 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Even in summer they hold at 4 to 12 ft; winter keeps them in 4 to 12 ft. Put Lockport reach first on the milk run — a creek channel near 9 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Tailout eddy (mile 24.2) (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Lockport reach (9 ft) | |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dusk | Lockport reach (9 ft) | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Lockport reach (9 ft) |
When the water first warms, freshwater drum slide up into 3 to 12 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 12 ft, winter 4 to 12 ft. Start at Lockport reach. It's a creek channel holding about 9 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run the evening. Keep a jig + crawler combo or a small crankbait (slow) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Lock Number 1 tailrace (10 ft) | Jig + curly tail (bounced), Small blade bait |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Lockport reach (9 ft) | Jig + crawler combo, Small crankbait (slow) |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday | Lockport reach (9 ft) | Blade bait (vertical), Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Lockport reach (9 ft) | Jigging spoon (slow) |
Come spring, look for common carp tight to the bank in 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 2 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 12 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Lemont flats: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Lemont flats (3 ft) | |
| Summer | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Lemont flats (3 ft) | |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday | Lemont flats (3 ft) | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 24.2) (7 ft) |
28 pieces of structure are mapped here — Lock Number 1 tailrace, around 10 ft, is the deepest of them.
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 Des Plaines River specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Illinois fishing regulations →
Des Plaines River is about 12 ft (4 m) deep 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.
Anglers target smallmouth bass, northern pike, largemouth bass, channel catfish, freshwater drum, common carp 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. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
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.
Fishing on Des Plaines River 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.
Tampier Lake 4 mi · Illinois Waterway - Brandon Road Pool 13 mi · Illinois Waterway - Dresden Island Pool 21 mi · Powder Horn Lake 22 mi · Fox River 23 mi · Heidecke Lake 31 mi · Rosser Park Pond 34 mi, IN · Cedar Lake 35 mi, IN · Kankakee River 35 mi · Diamond Lake 38 mi · Lake Michigan - Illinois and Indiana Shore 41 mi, IL/IN · Boulder Lake 44 mi
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 see every water on DepthScout. 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.