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159-acre lake in Morgan County, Illinois. The lake tops out around 11 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 the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:
Mauvaise Terre Lake maps at 139 acres behind 4.6 miles of shoreline. An index of 2.8 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. The basin spans about 1.3 mi end to end and 0.7 mi across at its widest. It sits in Morgan County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Lake Jacksonville, is 3 mi to the south.
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 11 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 11 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. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 3 to 11 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 3 to 11 ft, winter 3 to 11 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 9 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 11 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (9 ft) | |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | dusk | Deep basin (9 ft) | |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) |
Early season common carp use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 2 to 11 ft, then a winter hold in 3 to 11 ft. Put Shallow bay flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | |
| Summer | 2 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 3 to 11 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 11 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 9 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is 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 (3 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring freshwater drum on Mauvaise Terre Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 11 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 3 to 11 ft in summer, 3 to 11 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 9 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in the evening. The summer box starts with a jig + crawler combo or a small crankbait (slow).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Jig + curly tail (bounced), Small blade bait |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Jig + crawler combo, Small crankbait (slow) |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Blade bait (vertical), Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Deep basin (9 ft) | Jigging spoon (slow) |
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is a 3 to 11 ft game here, winter a 3 to 11 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run 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 (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Break off the point (5 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
The chart marks 6 structure features on Mauvaise Terre Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 9 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 Mauvaise Terre Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Illinois fishing regulations →
Mauvaise Terre Lake is about 11 ft (3 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, common carp, crappie, freshwater drum, largemouth bass on Mauvaise Terre Lake.
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.
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 Mauvaise Terre Lake 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 Jacksonville 3 mi · Greenfield Lake 26 mi · Otter Lake 26 mi · Sunset Lake 27 mi · Pittsfield Lake 29 mi · Lake Springfield 30 mi · Schuy-Rush Lake 31 mi · Anderson Lake 34 mi · Carlinville Lake 38 mi · Sangchris Lake 39 mi · Siloam Springs Lake 41 mi · Vermont Lake 43 mi
See how Mauvaise Terre Lake 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.