Live water for the Prairie State — the big USACE lakes Carlyle, Rend & Shelbyville, plus the bass & crappie power-plant lakes. But Illinois' real glory is the big rivers: the Mississippi & Ohio hold some of the country's best trophy blue catfish. The USACE lakes with NOAA gauges run live; the cooling & municipal lakes read as honest SNAPSHOT cards. Each tube shows the level, the lake's two signature fish (hover for the species, click for 2026 tournaments), and a live bite gauge. Scroll down for the Mississippi & Ohio blue cats, the Kankakee float, and the famous Illinois River Valley duck country.
Hover a fish for its species · click a fish to search that lake's 2026 tournaments
This is Illinois' marquee fishery. The Mississippi at Alton & Grafton and the Ohio at Cairo & Golconda give up trophy blue catfish & flatheads, with channel cats on the Illinois. Live river stage (ft) from NOAA, with action & flood marked. Rising, off-color water turns the cats on. Hover a cat for the species; tap it for a guide.
The Kankakee at Momence is a premier smallmouth float; the Fox, Vermilion & the big Illinois round it out. Live USGS gage height (ft); each tube marks FLOAT, EXPERT & FLOOD. Hover a fish; tap it for an outfitter.
The Kankakee & Fox are gentle smallmouth paddles; the Illinois is big, slow water. Always check the gage before launching.
The Illinois River Valley — Emiquon, Chautauqua NWR, Rice Lake & the lower river — is one of the great waterfowl corridors of the Mississippi Flyway. Live river-level (ft) from NOAA. Hover a duck for the species; tap it for a guide.
The Illinois River backwaters & moist-soil units flood for the fall migration. Illinois duck season runs roughly October–January by zone.