Besides plenty of junk and fallen timber, this shallow lake has an abundance of American water lotus -- also known as lily pads -- that provide both shelter and cooler water that catfish find very attractive once summer arrives in southern Illinois.

The best way to access cats hiding under the pads is by suspending bait about 3 feet under a bobber, pulling gently until the offering settles between the greenery. Lotus stems are tough, but fish can be coaxed from this hiding place with 20- to 30-pound-test Berkley FireLine and a rod with plenty of backbone.

DNR fisheries biologist Chris Bickers said many catmen sit on rock levees that are found on several sides of the lake, especially as waters warm to about 78 degrees in the spring. This usually happens about mid-May when channel catfish move amongst the rocks to build spawning nests.

Because Mermet holds so much cover and structure, actually putting fish on the stringer can be challenging. But Bickers said the efforts are worthwhile, with "excellent numbers" of 3- to 5-pound channel catfish, and some bigger specimens swimming in these fertile waters.

There are three boat ramps, with rental boats and camping/picnic amenities that make this Massac County fishery a perennial favorite for downstate cat chasers.

Contacts: Mermet Lake Conservation Area, (618) 524-5577; Metropolis Chamber of Commerce, 1-800-949-5740.

CRAB ORCHARD LAKE
If you just want to catch catfish, it's real hard to beat Williamson County's Crab Orchard Lake. Crab has an average depth of 7 feet, with 125 miles of shoreline surrounding its beautiful 7,000 acres of surface water between Marion and Carbondale.

The catfish population here is self-sustaining and found from one end of the lake to the other in this water that is the heart and soul of southern Illinois.

It took two poles to catch my first Crab Orchard whiskerfish back in 1969. Several of us were fishing near Carterville Beach by the light of the full-summer moon. I left my best fishin' rod propped in a forked stick in the sand for just a minute to retrieve a cold beverage from a nearby cooler and was unable to grab the rod before a catfish pulled it in the lake. Twenty minutes later one of the girls in our party got a bite -- a 6-pound channel cat with my fishin' pole still attached!

This critter ended up greasing the skillet a couple days later. Back then there were no fish-consumption advisories for eating catfish from these waters. Today we know that PCBs from defense plants on the lake's east end have made Crab a catch-and-release-only fishery for catfish.

Cut shad was -- and remains -- the best all-around channel catfish bait on Crab Orchard, which has plenty of access, good marina facilities, camping and other amenities.

Although it is less than six hours' drive from any point in Illinois, I never cease to be amazed by how few upstate anglers have experienced this water or the other lakes previously mentioned. Fishing Crab is a "must do" item on my several trips to southern Illinois every year. Exiting Interstate 57 at Marion and heading west on Highway 13 toward Carbondale always feels like coming home.