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Fishing Lake Springfield: what the data says
4,015-acre reservoir near Springfield. The lake tops out around 22 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 Springfield
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Springfield hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 22 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 22 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Lake Springfield
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 7 to 22 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 22 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Sharp break: a drop-off around 14 ft that scores prime in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 7 to 22 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Walleye fishing at Lake Springfield
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 7 to 22 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 22 ft. The spot to know is Sugar Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 7 to 22 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Saugeye fishing at Lake Springfield
Spring saugeye on Lake Springfield hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 22 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 22 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Sugar Creek inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is the evening and early morning. 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 | 6 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Blade bait, Jigging rap |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Blade bait |
Sauger fishing at Lake Springfield
Start shallow in spring: sauger sit in 4 to 18 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 22 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 22 ft. The spot to know is Sugar Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for sauger in spring. 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 22 ft | dawn & dusk | Bottom bouncer + crawler, 3-way rig with stickbait |
| Fall | 7 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Jig + big minnow, Blade bait |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | dusk | Heavy jigging spoon, Jig + minnow (vertical) |
Northern Pike fishing at Lake Springfield
Spring northern pike on Lake Springfield hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Lake Springfield also holds crappie (7 to 22 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), channel catfish (7 to 22 ft in summer), flathead catfish (6 to 22 ft in summer), muskellunge (7 to 22 ft in summer), striped bass (7 to 22 ft in summer), white bass (7 to 22 ft in summer), white bass & hybrids (7 to 22 ft in summer), common carp (3 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 21 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 14 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 9 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 6 ft
- Sugar Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 6 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 3 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 3 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 3 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Springfield?
Lake Springfield is about 22 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 Springfield?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white bass, saugeye, sauger, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, muskellunge, striped bass, white bass & hybrids, flathead catfish, common carp on Lake Springfield.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Springfield?
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 Springfield?
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
Sangamon River · Otter Lake · Carlinville Lake · Lake Glenn Shoals · Greenfield Lake · Anderson Lake
See how Lake Springfield stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Illinois · best smallmouth bass lakes in Illinois · best walleye lakes in Illinois · best white bass 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.