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Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
1,369-acre lake in Montgomery County, Illinois. The lake tops out around 32 ft. This chart interpolates between a real shoreline and a known maximum depth. It will point you at likely water, but it is not a navigation product. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
The outline encloses 1,329 acres, worked by 23.3 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 4.6, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. About 82% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft on the modeled chart — that's the weed-and-bait zone. The basin spans about 6.1 mi end to end and 1.7 mi across at its widest. Montgomery County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Lake Glenn Shoals, is 7 mi to the east.
Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 4 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is 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 | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (14 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Deep basin (27 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Spring channel catfish on Lake Lou Yaeger hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 32 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 27 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (27 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Deep basin (27 ft) | |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Deep basin (27 ft) |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 10 to 32 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 27 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (14 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (14 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Deep basin (27 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Lou Yaeger hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 32 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 4 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (14 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Break off the point (14 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Structure-wise the chart holds 7 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 27 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Illinois waters are set by the Illinois DNR — and special regulations can apply to Lake Lou Yaeger specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Illinois fishing regulations →
Lake Lou Yaeger is about 32 ft (10 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 bluegill, channel catfish, crappie, largemouth bass on Lake Lou Yaeger.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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.
Fishing on Lake Lou Yaeger 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.
Lake Glenn Shoals 7 mi · Carlinville Lake 14 mi · Sunset Lake 20 mi · Otter Lake 21 mi · Taylorville Lake 26 mi · Sangchris Lake 27 mi · Greenfield Lake 33 mi · Lake Springfield 34 mi · Carlyle Lake 40 mi · Lake Jacksonville 44 mi · Sangamon River 46 mi · Mauvaise Terre Lake 47 mi
See how Lake Lou Yaeger stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Illinois · best crappie lakes in Illinois · best bluegill 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.