Coffeen Lake offers anglers excellent facilities. Concession, camping and bait are all available on site. For more information, call (217) 537-3351. For lodging information, call the Hillsboro Area Chamber of Commerce at (217) 532-3711.

OHIO RIVER
Big rivers have a tendency to be a feast or famine when it comes to striped bass fishing, but lately the Ohio River wanes toward gluttony. DNR biologist Les Franklin said his most recent survey is the best he has seen the river in a long time.

"In our last survey, we were shocking the Smithland tailwaters and there were so many hybrids and pure stripers coming up, we couldn't net them all," Franklin said. "We had more pure stripers than hybrids. Most were between 10 and 12 pounds. Hybrids averaged about 6 to 8 pounds."

In addition to the Smithland tailrace, Franklin said they have had impressive surveys around Wabash Island and near Shawneetown. Farther upstream into Indiana and Kentucky, reports from other state biologists confirm extraordinary numbers of both hybrids and pure stripers.

Just about any tailrace can be productive at certain times of the year. Generally during the spring and fall, fishing is best around the dams, especially when the water level is up. During the summer, productive angling varies inversely with the amount of water in the river -- generally the faster the flow, the better the fishing. Look for stripers to be relating to current edges near turbulent water.

Franklin said one of the best baits to use is shad, either fished live or as cut bait on a slip-sinker rig. During the summer, some people catch fish by trolling the river channel with crankbaits and big Roadrunners, while other anglers like to fish around the dams with large spoons or blade baits.

Public launches are located up and down the Ohio River. For more information, call (618) 214-1100. For lodging information, call the Metropolis Area Chamber of Commerce at (618) 524-2714.

CEDAR LAKE
One unsung gem that no serious striper fanatic should miss out on is Cedar Lake in Jackson County. Of any lake in Illinois, this water-supply reservoir may offer you your best shot at a striper over 20 pounds.

"We stock pure stripers in Cedar," said DNR biologist Shawn Hirst. "And although not many come up in my surveys, angler reports indicate that there are good numbers of big stripers. I'm often called to verify a catch for an angler who thinks he has just caught the new state-record hybrid."