SPRING LAKE
While there are several waters in Illinois named “Spring Lake,” this one north of Macomb in McDonough County is, “a nice place to go to tie into a few bass in an afternoon,” according to biologist Russell.

“There’s a decent population of largemouths in Spring Lake,” he said. “Our last survey turned up about 60 fish per hour, and there’s a decent population of lunkers between 5 and 7 pounds. Overall, one-third of the bass are 15 inches or longer.”

At 277 acres, there is enough water to spend a day casting here. For the most part, the water is clear, but it tends to muddy up after a good rain, so anglers need to be ready to change gears. When clarity is good, 7-inch plastic worms bumped in deep water near the levee account for some of the lake’s biggest bass. Pitching tubes or jerk worms around docks, deadfalls and weeds can produce, as do topwaters early and late in the day. When clarity is poor, bass move shallow where they can be taken with crankbaits or big-bladed spinnerbaits in chartreuse or orange patterns.

Camping and good accommodations are on site. There is a 10-horsepower limit on motors.

For more fishing knowledge, call Spring Hill Bait & Tackle at (309) 836-8205. For travel information, call the Macomb Chamber of Commerce at (309) 837-4855.

ARGYLE LAKE
If you happen to be in the neighborhood of Spring Lake, Russell also suggested Argyle Lake just 10 miles down the road. Data reveals a dense population of largemouths and some lunker fish in this 78-acre reservoir.

“Argyle has a good base of shad, and the bass are in good shape,” Russell said. “This fall, we had a catch rate of 125 per hour. There’s a high population in the 13- to 15-inch class, a fair number from 15 to 18 inches, and the largest we found was a 5 1/2-pounder.”

Argyle is a series of fingered coves with points, fallen trees, stumps and brush. Weeds in the backs of coves provide good action for casters using bright spinnerbaits, while points and deep water by the dam get the attention during midday from anglers using jigs and plastic worms, or deep-diving shad-patterned crankbaits.

There is a 10-horse limit here. Camping, concession, boat rental and good facilities are on site. For more information, call (309) 776-3422. For lodging info, call the Macomb Chamber of Commerce at (309) 837-4855.

DUTCHMAN LAKE
Deep in the heart of the Shawnee National Forest is a clear but weedy 118-acre retention lake called Dutchman. In Dutchman is a dense bass population, but not many folks fish for them.

“Dutchman largemouth abundance in the spring of 2006 was excellent,” said DNR biologist Chris Bickers. “Our catch rate was 134 fish per hour, 47 percent were over 12 inches, with numerous fish larger than 15 inches. Each year we survey a few over 8 pounds, too.”

Being clear, shallow and weedy, anglers must make some modifications before hitting Dutchman. Light line with plastic worms, tube jigs or surface lures produce well.

Dutchman Lake has a 10-horsepower limit on motors. Other than a decent concrete ramp on the south end, all other access is limited. For more information, call the Shawnee National Forest at (618) 253-7114. For more info on Johnson County, call (618) 658-2063.

WEST FRANKFORT NEW CITY LAKE
In the southeastern corner of Franklin County, tiny West Frankfort New City Lake is producing big numbers of quality largemouths.

“We caught 78 bass per hour, and 50 percent of those were over 12 inches long,” DNR biologist Bickers said. “There’s a good population of 3-pounders, and lots of 7-pound-plus fish are caught each year.”