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1,037-acre reservoir near Mattoon. The lake tops out around 28 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Lake Mattoon maps at 1,033 acres behind 35.5 miles of shoreline. With a shoreline index of 7.9, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. 75% of the surface is littoral (under ~15 ft) — cover, weeds and forage water. The basin spans about 3.7 mi end to end and 2.2 mi across at its widest. Shelby County claims this one. Lake Paradise sits 5 mi north — the closest neighbouring chart.
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 28 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (20 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Break off the point (20 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for smallmouth bass tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 28 ft, then a winter hold in 8 to 28 ft. Start at Main-lake point. It's a point holding about 10 ft of water and rates prime come fall. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 8 to 28 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (20 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Break off the point (20 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 8 to 28 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 24 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Old creek channel (22 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Old creek channel (22 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Deep basin (24 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: saugeye in 3 to 12 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 22 ft before dropping to 8 to 28 ft for winter. The spot to know is Little Wabash River inflow, an inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for saugeye in spring. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a crawler harness (shallow) or a jig + crawler gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | Little Wabash River inflow (7 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (20 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (24 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Come spring, look for white bass & hybrids tight to the bank in 3 to 15 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 28 ft, then a winter hold in 8 to 28 ft. Start at Little Wabash River inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 7 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 | Little Wabash River inflow (7 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 8 to 28 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (10 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Deep basin (24 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 8 to 28 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Little Wabash River inflow: an inflow / creek mouth around 7 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 | Little Wabash River inflow (7 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Old creek channel (22 ft) | |
| Fall | 8 to 28 ft | dusk | Old creek channel (22 ft) | |
| Winter | 8 to 28 ft | midday | Deep basin (24 ft) |
Lake Mattoon also holds flathead catfish (7 to 28 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), freshwater drum (7 to 28 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Count 9 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 24 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 Mattoon specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Illinois fishing regulations →
Lake Mattoon is about 28 ft (9 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, saugeye, white bass & hybrids, channel catfish, flathead catfish, common carp, freshwater drum, bluegill on Lake Mattoon.
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.
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.
Fishing on Lake Mattoon 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 Paradise 5 mi · Lake Shelbyville 15 mi · Embarras River 17 mi · Sara Lake 18 mi · Charleston Lake 19 mi · Lake Altamont 26 mi · Sam Parr Lake 30 mi · Newton Lake 32 mi · Walnut Point Lake 33 mi · Lincoln Trail State Park Lake 40 mi · Lake Decatur 41 mi · Taylorville Lake 44 mi
See how Lake Mattoon stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Illinois · best smallmouth bass lakes in Illinois · best saugeye lakes in Illinois · best crappie lakes in Illinois
Browse all Illinois fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. 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.