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Fishing Lake Glenn Shoals: what the data says
1,102.3-acre reservoir near Hillsboro. The lake tops out around 24 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Glenn Shoals
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 24 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| 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 | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Lake Glenn Shoals
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 7 to 24 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 24 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 7 ft that scores prime in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Crappie fishing at Lake Glenn Shoals
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 7 to 24 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 24 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 23 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 7 to 24 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 | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Glenn Shoals
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 7 to 24 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 24 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 23 ft that scores prime in winter. 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 | 7 to 24 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Lake Glenn Shoals
In spring, white bass & hybrids run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 24 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 24 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for white bass & hybrids in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | midday & dawn | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | midday | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
Sauger fishing at Lake Glenn Shoals
In spring, sauger run shallow here, mostly 4 to 18 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 24 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 24 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 23 ft of water that rates prime for sauger in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a bottom bouncer + crawler or a 3-way rig with stickbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | 3/8 oz jig + ringworm, Hair jig + minnow |
| Summer | 7 to 24 ft | dawn & dusk | Bottom bouncer + crawler, 3-way rig with stickbait |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | dusk & dawn | Jig + big minnow, Blade bait |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | dusk | Heavy jigging spoon, Jig + minnow (vertical) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 23 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 9 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 7 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 7 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 4 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Glenn Shoals?
Lake Glenn Shoals is about 24 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Lake Glenn Shoals?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, sauger, crappie, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids on Lake Glenn Shoals.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Glenn Shoals?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lake Glenn Shoals?
For largemouth 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
Carlinville Lake · Otter Lake · Lake Springfield · Sangamon River · Kaskaskia River · Greenfield Lake
See how Lake Glenn Shoals stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Illinois · best smallmouth bass lakes in Illinois · best sauger lakes in Illinois · best crappie lakes in Illinois
Browse all Illinois fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.