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Fishing Lake Paradise: what the data says
174-acre lake near Illinois. The lake tops out around 19 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Bluegill fishing at Lake Paradise
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 19 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| 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 | 6 to 19 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Paradise
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 6 to 19 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 19 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 16 ft, rated prime for winter channel catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 6 to 19 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 6 to 19 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft | midday |
Common Carp fishing at Lake Paradise
Start shallow in spring: common carp sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 3 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 19 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft | midday |
Crappie fishing at Lake Paradise
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 6 to 19 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 19 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 16 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 6 to 19 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 6 to 19 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Flathead Catfish fishing at Lake Paradise
Spring flathead catfish on Lake Paradise hold shallow, usually 5 to 19 ft. Summer fish stay in 5 to 19 ft, and winter fish hold in 6 to 19 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 16 ft, rated prime for fall flathead catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 19 ft | night & dusk | |
| Summer | 5 to 19 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 19 ft | night & dusk | |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft | midday |
Freshwater Drum fishing at Lake Paradise
Start shallow in spring: freshwater drum sit in 5 to 19 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 5 to 19 ft, and winter fish hold in 6 to 19 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 16 ft, rated prime for winter freshwater drum. Best bite is the evening. Summer baits: a jig + crawler combo or a small crankbait (slow) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 19 ft | midday & dawn | Jig + curly tail (bounced), Small blade bait |
| Summer | 5 to 19 ft | dusk | Jig + crawler combo, Small crankbait (slow) |
| Fall | 5 to 19 ft | midday | Blade bait (vertical), Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 6 to 19 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (slow) |
Lake Paradise also holds largemouth bass (6 to 19 ft in summer), sauger (6 to 19 ft in summer), saugeye (6 to 19 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (6 to 19 ft in summer), walleye (6 to 19 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 16 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 9 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Paradise?
Lake Paradise is about 19 ft (6 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 Lake Paradise?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, saugeye, sauger, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, common carp on Lake Paradise.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Paradise?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 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 Lake Paradise?
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 Mattoon · Lake Shelbyville · Charleston Lake · Embarras River · Sara Lake · Lake Altamont
See how Lake Paradise stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Illinois · best smallmouth bass lakes in Illinois · best walleye lakes in Illinois · best saugeye lakes in Illinois
Browse all Illinois fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.