SANGCHRIS LAKE
This lake has been one of the top fishing lakes in our state for the past 20 years, and this year is no different. The size and quality of the fish remains excellent in this 2,165-acre lake, despite the fact that it's a hotwater lake, with high water temperatures causing the bass to burn more calories than other lakes. The lake also gets a lot of fishing pressure, but it has a good forage base and anglers at this lake practice catch-and-release fishing more than at most other lakes.

Fish are about 1 to 2 pounds on average, but a lot of big fish swim here. Best fishing is along laydowns, near dropoffs, in the weedy areas and along riprap at this lake, located about 13 miles southeast of Springfield.

There is a 15-inch minimum and a three-fish-per-day limit. Boaters are limited to 25-horsepower motors.

JACKSONVILLE LAKE
This lake has a very high density of keeper-sized bass and also excellent numbers of big bass. This 475-acre Morgan County lake continues to grow in popularity with central Illinois anglers but seems to handle the fishing pressure with ease.

Located three miles south of Jacksonville, the average catch will be 1 to 2 pounds, but 4-pound fish are common, and 6- and 7-pound fish are taken with great regularity. Anglers find the fish around stickups, weedy areas, points, riprap and off fallen trees. Natural reproduction is supplemented by hatchery fish and a nursery pond. In addition, smallmouth bass were introduced in the lake two years ago, which should make the fishing even better in the future. There is a 15-inch minimum on bass, and boaters are required to have a user sticker.

COFFEEN LAKE
This hotwater Montgomery County cooling lake has never been thought of as being a top fishing lake, but it has slowly but surely gone from mediocre to excellent for bass. Because the water gets so warm during the summer months, the best fishing comes early in the year, and in late fall and early winter.

Biologists say this 1,100-acre lake, located one mile west of Coffeen, has excellent numbers of 15-inch fish, as well as numerous 18-inch bass. Anglers take good numbers of 2-pound fish, and plentiful numbers of 4- to 5-pounders, by fishing the points, weedy areas, back of coves and laydowns. There is a 15-inch minimum length limit, and boaters are limited to 25-horsepower motors.

TAYLORVILLE LAKE
This 1,286-acre lake is our central Illinois "sleeper," and it has made a tremendous turnaround since the late 1980s and early 1990s when its bass population was poor. That's when the city and DNR entered into a recovery program that included nursery ponds and stocking, and the bass population has improved every year since. The fishing was excellent last year, and 2005 should be no different.

The lake has all sizes of bass, and these fish are healthy due to a strong forage base. There are good numbers of high-quality fish, and the lake is showing good natural reproduction, too. The best fishing is around laydowns and near stumps, as well as around weeds, where anglers will find 1 1/2- to 2-pounders in plentiful numbers, as well as numerous fish in the 3-to 4-pound range.

The best bass fishing is on the lower half of the lake. The lake is quite shallow in some places, especially in the upper half. Don't run fast if you're not familiar with its terrain, because there are submerged islands. There is a 15-inch minimum size limit on bass, and a user fee is required for boaters.