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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
Brandon Road dam to the Dresden Island dam past the Kankakee confluence. The head of the Illinois River proper, sauger, white bass and flathead water. The river tops out around 31 ft. The depth chart comes from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Illinois Waterway - Dresden Island Pool maps at 1,094 acres behind 28.3 miles of shoreline. That shoreline is heavily fingered (development index 6.1) — bays, points and pockets everywhere, which multiplies the fishable edge. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 77% of this chart. End to end it runs roughly 11.9 mi, about 1.6 mi across. Will County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Illinois Waterway - Brandon Road Pool, is 8 mi to the northeast.
In spring, sauger run shallow here, mostly 4 to 18 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 10 to 30 ft before dropping to 9 to 31 ft for winter. Spring sauger concentrate at Kankakee confluence (Channahon), a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 11 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a bottom bouncer + crawler or a 3-way rig with stickbait most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Kankakee confluence (Channahon) (11 ft) | 3/8 oz jig + ringworm, Hair jig + minnow |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 7.5) (17 ft) | Bottom bouncer + crawler, 3-way rig with stickbait |
| Fall | 9 to 31 ft | dusk & dawn | Outside-bend hole (mile 1.9) (9 ft) | Jig + big minnow, Blade bait |
| Winter | 9 to 31 ft | dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 1.9) (9 ft) | Heavy jigging spoon, Jig + minnow (vertical) |
Spring puts walleye in skinny water — 4 to 15 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 9 to 31 ft, wintering in 9 to 31 ft. Spring walleye concentrate at Kankakee confluence (Channahon), a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 11 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Kankakee confluence (Channahon) (11 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 9 to 31 ft | dusk & dawn | Outside-bend hole (mile 1.9) (9 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 9 to 31 ft | dusk & night | Outside-bend hole (mile 1.9) (9 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 9 to 31 ft | dusk & dawn | Outside-bend hole (mile 1.9) (9 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
In spring, white bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 25 ft before dropping to 9 to 31 ft for winter. Spring white bass concentrate at Kankakee confluence (Channahon), a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 11 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Kankakee confluence (Channahon) (11 ft) | Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 3.7) (14 ft) | Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish) |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 3.7) (14 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait |
| Winter | 9 to 31 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 1.9) (9 ft) | Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait |
Come spring, look for white bass & hybrids tight to the bank in 3 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 9 to 31 ft. Start at Kankakee confluence (Channahon). It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 11 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Kankakee confluence (Channahon) (11 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Channel current seam (mile 3.7) (14 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Channel current seam (mile 3.7) (14 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 9 to 31 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 1.9) (9 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 9 to 31 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Kankakee confluence (Channahon): an inflow / creek mouth around 11 ft that scores prime in spring. 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 | Kankakee confluence (Channahon) (11 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 1.9) (9 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 7.5) (17 ft) | |
| Winter | 9 to 31 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 1.9) (9 ft) |
Come spring, look for flathead catfish tight to the bank in 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 9 to 31 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Outside-bend hole (mile 1.9): a creek channel around 9 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | Brandon Road tailrace (6 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 1.9) (9 ft) | |
| Fall | 9 to 31 ft | night & dusk | Outside-bend hole (mile 1.9) (9 ft) | |
| Winter | 9 to 31 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 1.9) (9 ft) |
Illinois Waterway - Dresden Island Pool also holds blue catfish (8 to 31 ft in summer), largemouth bass (8 to 20 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), freshwater drum (8 to 30 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
7 pieces of structure are mapped here — Outside-bend hole (mile 11.8), around 18 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 Illinois Waterway - Dresden Island Pool specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Illinois fishing regulations →
Illinois Waterway - Dresden Island Pool is about 31 ft (9 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.
Anglers target sauger, walleye, white bass, white bass & hybrids, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, freshwater drum, common carp on Illinois Waterway - Dresden Island Pool.
Kankakee confluence (Channahon) is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for sauger in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For sauger, 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 Illinois Waterway - Dresden Island Pool 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.
Illinois Waterway - Brandon Road Pool 8 mi · Heidecke Lake 10 mi · Tampier Lake 20 mi · Des Plaines River 21 mi · Kankakee River 23 mi · Fox River 29 mi · Powder Horn Lake 36 mi · Cedar Lake 39 mi, IN · Shabbona Lake 41 mi · Rosser Park Pond 46 mi, IN · J.C. Murphey Lake 47 mi, IN · Diamond Lake 56 mi
See how Illinois Waterway - Dresden Island Pool stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Illinois · best smallmouth bass lakes in Illinois · best walleye lakes in Illinois · best white bass lakes in Illinois
Browse all Illinois fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 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.