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Fishing Lake Mattoon: what the data says
1,037-acre reservoir near Mattoon. 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Mattoon
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 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. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 Mattoon
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 24 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 24 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 9 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. 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 Mattoon
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. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 24 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 |
Saugeye fishing at Lake Mattoon
Start shallow in spring: saugeye sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 22 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 24 ft. Little Wabash River inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring saugeye. 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + twister tail, Blade bait |
| Summer | 8 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness (shallow), Jig + crawler |
| Fall | 7 to 24 ft | dusk & dawn | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 7 to 24 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
White Bass & Hybrids fishing at Lake Mattoon
Start shallow in spring: white bass & hybrids sit in 3 to 15 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. The spot to know is Little Wabash River inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for white bass & hybrids in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) and you're in the game.
| 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) |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Mattoon
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 24 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 24 ft. Little Wabash River inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| 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 |
Lake Mattoon also holds flathead catfish (6 to 24 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), freshwater drum (6 to 24 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 24 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 23 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 20 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 10 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 9 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 7 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 7 ft
- Little Wabash River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 6 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Mattoon?
Lake Mattoon 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 Mattoon?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, saugeye, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, white bass & hybrids, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, common carp on Lake Mattoon.
Where is the best fishing spot 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.
When is the best time to fish Lake Mattoon?
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
Sara Lake · Embarras River · Charleston Lake · Lake Altamont · Walnut Point Lake · Lincoln Trail State Park Lake
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 every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.