For more information, call the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce at (800) 526-1500.

NEWTON LAKE
If you're talking about the greatest number of trophy bass per surface acre, Jasper County's Newton Lake is definitely in the medal round. This cooling lake continues to produce great catches of largemouths, a third of them at or above the minimum 18-inch "keeper" length on any given outing.

Suspending stick baits and shad pattern Rat-L-Traps work well this time of year with late March and early April offering the best shot at landing a fish over 6 pounds.

The lake record is just over 10 1/2 pounds, but DNR surveys indicate there are larger specimens swimming in the lake.

Besides having true trophy potential, Newton is a great place to just get your string stretched. Once you find the bass -- they're usually congregated in the warmest water available -- 50-bass outings are common.

Anglers should key on the backs of coves for the next few weeks. If you hit a couple of fish with a Rat-L-Trap or a big white spinnerbait, change to a Texas-rigged plastic worm, salamander or brush hawg-type bait before prospecting other potential areas.

Like a handful of other Illinois lakes -- primarily cooling lakes -- Newton has a 25-horsepower outboard limit in place.

Times certainly have changed. Thirty years ago, a 25-horse was considered the quintessential fishing motor; any larger motor was the kind of thing you put on a speedboat. Too bad horsepower limits on cooling lakes aren't tied to electric rates.

Does anybody make a 500-horse outboard?

For more information, call the Newton Lake FWA at (618) 783-3478.

LAKE OF EGYPT
This 2,300-acre cooling lake south of Marion is another perennial producer of hawg bass. Like many other power plant lakes, special boating regulations are in place.

The Southern Illinois Power Co-operative manages the lake and enforces a 35-mph speed limit, which makes more sense than the rules at Newton, Sangchris and other cooling lakes around the state.