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Fishing Kinkaid Lake: what the data says
2,333-acre lake near Illinois. The lake tops out around 80 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Bluegill fishing at Kinkaid Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Kinkaid Lake
Spring channel catfish on Kinkaid Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates good for channel catfish in spring. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Crappie fishing at Kinkaid Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Kinkaid Lake
In spring, flathead catfish run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 68 ft of water that rates good for flathead catfish in fall. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Kinkaid Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Kinkaid Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Muskellunge fishing at Kinkaid Lake
Start shallow in spring: muskellunge sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. A double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Kinkaid Lake also holds smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), walleye (15 to 35 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 68 ft
- H Dock: dock line, around 25 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 20 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 20 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 10 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 10 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 8 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 4 ft
- G Dock: dock line, around 2 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 2 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 0 ft
Common questions
How deep is Kinkaid Lake?
Kinkaid Lake is about 80 ft (24 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.
What fish are in Kinkaid Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, muskellunge, flathead catfish on Kinkaid Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Kinkaid Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Kinkaid Lake?
For bluegill, 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
Lake Murphysboro · Cedar Lake · Little Grassy Lake · Crab Orchard Lake · Devils Kitchen Lake · Washington County Lake
See how Kinkaid Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Illinois · best smallmouth bass lakes in Illinois · best walleye lakes in Illinois · best crappie lakes in Illinois
Browse all Illinois fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.