6 Awesome Fishing Spots in the Marion, IL Area

Marion, Illinois, and the surrounding countryside are home to some of the best fishing lakes and nature preserves in the country. Our team has been visiting them all to find fishing spots that are perfect for everyone, from beginners to avid fishermen. Have you visited these six Illinois lakes and ponds?

Where to Go If You Love Fishing by Boat

Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area’s Grassy Lake

The Union County State Fish and Wildlife Area is well-known as a state refuge for wild birds, with tourists and photographers coming from all around the country to see 100,000 Canadian geese visit in droves during the fall and winter. But it’s also home to a wide variety of fish species. Grassy Lake is open for fishing for a long seven-month season from March 1 through October 15. Most fishermen come for the abundant catfish, which love the shallow lake. However, because the lake is so shallow, it can only accommodate boats with outboard motors that operate at 10 horsepower or less.

Grassy Lake is just a fifty-minute drive from Marion, with the first half of the drive down Interstate 57.

Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area’s Rend Lake Reservoir

If you love fishing out on the water instead of just along the shoreline, this state recreation area is home to Rend Lake Reservoir, a 19,000-acre body of water created and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It’s measured at 13 miles long and three miles wide. This lake is home to catfish, bluegill, and largemouth bass; even white bass, which are rare throughout the area, can be found in Rend Lake Reservoir. If you’re visiting in the early spring, this lake also has plenty of black and white crappie.

This park is built with boat launch facilities so you can spend your day out at the lake. But the lake also offers plenty of opportunity for shoreline fishing along the miles of Rend Lake coastline. If you love taking long fishing trips with lots of different ways to fish, Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area also has 17 tent campsites and 243 more modern campsites so you can plan a multi-day vacation.

Rend Lake reservoir is just a quick thirty-minute drive north of Marion; that’s perfect for picking up breakfast and heading out for a morning of fishing.

Pierce Lake

Pierce Lake is a northern Illinois destination that’s worth the drive. This lake is only 162 acres, but it offers plenty of piers, shoreline, and relaxation. Motorized vehicles and recreational water sports aren’t allowed in the lake, so it’s a protected spot for slow-paced, fun fishing. Kayakers can fish while paddling around the lake or stick to the shoreline to find largemouth bass, walleye, catfish, and muskie. If fishing is your way to unwind — or you want a great environment to introduce someone new to the activity — there’s no better place than Pierce Lake. If you’re in the mood for fishing in the middle of winter, come join the hardy ice fishers gathering at the lake. The only thing to keep in mind (no matter when you visit) is that zebra mussel have been spotted in the area before, so clean your boat thoroughly after stopping by.

Pierce Lake is also a great vacation choice between it’s in Rock Cut State Park, a 3,000-acre natural park with hundreds of campsites available in the on-season and offseason. So if you’re traveling with people who love the city life more than nature, don’t worry: Pierce Lake puts you within about an hour’s drive of Chicago.

The drive from Marion to Pierce Lake is approximately 5 1/2 hours.

Top Fishing Destinations With Piers and Lakeside or Coastline Fishing

“Lefty Kreh Fishing Trail Dedication” licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Flickr by MDGovpics

Cache River State Natural Area

Cache River, a remnant of when the Ohio River flowed through the area, is a rich river that dominates the floodplains around Belknap. The area is also home to 1,000-year-old cypress trees. Many of these trees have fallen over due to severe bank erosion in the Upper Cache River. So while canoeing is a popular activity along the Lower Cache River, hobbyist and sport fishermen generally stick to the shoreline.

There’s plenty to catch all along the Cache River, with popular fish species such as:

• Bass
• Bluegill
• Bowfin
• Catfish
• Crappie
• Grass Pickerel
• Needlenose Gar<
• Yellow Bullhead Catfish

But these swampy wetlands are also home to endangered fish species — pygmy sunfish and cypress minnows — so visitors should be careful about what they catch and keep to take home. Cache River State Natural Area is only an hour’s drive south of Marion, just outside Karnak.

Giant City State Park

If you love fishing but you’re looking for a local vacation destination that has lots of outdoor activities for everyone in your group, Giant City State Park is a perfect choice. Visitors will find plenty of hiking trails, as well as opportunities for hunting, horseback riding, rock climbing, and even metal detecting. As far as fishing is concerned, there are numerous ponds throughout the park for easy bank fishing.

Not only does it have natural amenities for all of the classic outdoor activities you’d want in a nature park, but Giant City is well-known for exemplary campgrounds. The Class A Campground has a shower building and 85 campsites with water and electricity. The Class C Campgrounds have 14 tent sites and camping spots along the Red Cedar Trail. Horses even have their own on-site campground!

Head half an hour west from Marion to reach Giant City State Park.

Fern Clyffe State Park’s Ferne Clyffe Lake

Ferne Cliffe State Park has thousands of acres of natural landscapes so visitors can enjoy fishing, hunting, horseback riding, and the opportunity to hike along 18 distinct trails. Ferne Clyffe Lake is a 16-acre man-made lake that was created in 1960. It is encircled by a one-mile hiking trail along the edge, which makes lakeside fishing relaxing and convenient. Enjoy finding bluegill, catfish, redear, and largemouth bass in the 22-foot-deep water. While bank fishing is welcome, visitors can’t boat or swim in the lake.

Ferne Clyffe Lake is an easy 20-minute drive south along IL-37, and you’ll find the lake just outside Goreville.

There’s nothing like driving to a new fishing destination, whether you’re taking a quick drive down your local highway or you’re going on a road trip. If you know of other fishing spots around Marion we should explore, let our team know about them — tell us about it in the comments or get in touch with us! We can’t wait to add to our list.