Cast Your Line at These Fishing Spots Near Carbondale, IL

Now that the weather is warming up in Illinois, there’s no better way to spend the long summer days than fishing with your friends or family at your favorite spots. Have you been looking for some new places to explore? Or have you never tried fishing before and don’t know where to start? If so, we’ve compiled a list of the waterways we love in the Carbondale area, including any licenses you may need and the kind of fish you can expect to find.

We want to make your fishing experience as easy and stress-free as possible, so read on and then pick the spot that sounds best for you.

Rend Lake

Image by Clark Young via Unsplash, Unsplash License

Are you looking to catch some largemouth bass or channel catfish? If you are, Rend Lake is your best bet, boasting the most logged catches of both those species in the area. You’ll also find plenty of bluegills and crappies. Located in the Mount Vernon area, Rend Lake is less than an hour’s drive northeast of Carbondale, making it an easily accessible fishing spot.

While there’re no restrictions on boat fishing, limits do apply to how many fish of each species you can take home each day. Quite honestly, they’re high enough that it’s unlikely to pose an issue. Regulations apply for these fish you can catch at Rend Lake:

• Largemouth bass: six-fish daily limited and a 14-inch minimum length.
• White bass: 20-fish daily limit and no more than three fish exceeding 17 inches.
• Hybrid striped bass: 20-fish daily limit and no more than three exceeding 17 inches.
• Crappies: 25-fish daily limit and no more than 10 exceeding 10 inches.

Crab Orchard Lake

Get some largemouth bass, crappies, and channel catfish over at Crab Orchard Lake, where they’re stocked in abundance. Located only 15 minutes east of Carbondale, the lake is an easy spot to access for a quick last-minute morning or afternoon trip with the family. The lake has no restrictions on boat fishing, and there’re no size limits for the fish you catch.

Do you want to spend a longer time on the lake and make a fun summer day out of it? If so, you’ll be happy to know that swimming and picnicking are also allowed at the lake. With a shoreline spanning 125 miles, you’ll find plenty of fishing spots and places to relax by the water and cool off on a hot summer day.

Campus Lake

Carbondale residents looking for a quick, easy fishing spot they can access during their time off can’t ask for a better place than Campus Lake (or pond, depending on whom you ask). It’s an exactly six-minute drive south of downtown Carbondale. This reservoir gets its name from its Southern Illinois University campus location.

Local fishermen advise that the best times to fish in Campus Lake are between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., when most people catch the highest volume of fish. Since the lake is relatively small, there’s no boating or swimming allowed. You’ll most likely catch crappies and bass here.

Kinkaid Lake

For a nice fishing getaway outside of Carbondale, head to Kinkaid Lake, located in the hills of Shawnee National Forest. You can arrange a weekend of fishing combined with hiking in the beautiful nearby natural landscapes. Though the area is less than half an hour west of Carbondale, this spot feels like you’ve driven hours outside the city.

As far as fishing goes, you’ll also find rarer species here than in other surrounding lakes, such as muskellunge and walleyes. Do you have a fishing boat, or are you considering investing in one? If so, Kinkaid Lake Marina is a good nearby location, with its three boat launching facilities that are open to the public.

Remember that this is one of the most popular fishing spots in the area, especially during the summer. So, if you want a little more peace and quiet, you should consider arriving very early in the morning or late in the evening.

The lake has a few site regulations on your catches:

• Largemouth/smallmouth bass: three-fish daily limit and a 16-inch minimum length limit.
• Muskie: one-fish daily limit and a 48-inch minimum length limit.
• White, black, or hybrid crappie: 15-fish daily limit and only 10 fish over 10 inches long.
• Walleye: six-fish daily limit and a 14-inch minimum length limit.

The Resort at Egyptian Hills

Drive 40 minutes southeast of Carbondale to arrive at the Lake of Egypt, where you’ll find the Resort at Egyptian Hills. This 2,300-acre lake has plenty of local species in its waters, including bluegills, largemouth bass, channel catfish, crappies, and striped bass. Local fishermen say that crappies and largemouth bass are the most common, so you’ll definitely want to head to Lake of Egypt if you’re partial to these fish.

Are you interested in a destination where you can spend a whole weekend with the family? If you are, the Resort at Egyptian Hills offers plenty of water activities and floating playgrounds with inflatables for kids in the Water Fun Lagoon. And if you’d like to get even more active outdoors, you can rent kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards or equipment for snorkeling.

Cedar Lake

Did you know the same lake that provides most of Carbondale’s tap water is also a great fishing destination? That’s right, Cedar Lake is 25 minutes southwest of the city, and in addition to the usual crappies and largemouth bass populating the area lakes, you can also find a lot of redear sunfish.

While you’re welcome to take out a boat to fish on the lake, there’s a 10-hp limit on boat motors, and only two-pole and line fishing is allowed. You’re also required to follow the following site regulations:

• Largemouth bass: No possession of bass equal to or greater than 14 inches and less than 18 inches, five fish less than 14 inches, and one equal to or greater than the 18-inch daily length limit.
• Striped, white, or hybrid bass: 17-inch minimum length limit and three-fish daily limit.
• White, black, hybrid crappie: 25-fish daily limit.

Did we miss your favorite Carbondale fishing spot? If we did, please share it with us by contacting us at Ike Honda, as we would love to include it in a future post.