Fishing Southern Illinois

Fishing Resources for Southern Illinois

Southern Illinois is a fisherman’s paradise! Three of the largest lakes in the state are here. Carlyle Lake, Rend Lake, and Crab Orchard, offer tens of thousands of acres of tournament quality fishing! Don’t forget to visit some of the smaller lakes such as Washington Lake near Nashville, IL, Omega Lake at Stephen Forbes State Park or Cedar Lake south of Murphysboro on Rte 127, near the Shawnee Wine Trail!

Rend Lake Recreation Visitors Center
10833 Rend Lake Dam RD.
Benton, IL
618-439-7430

Carlyle Lake Management Office
801 Lake Rd.
Carlyle, IL
618-594-2484

Little Grassy Lake
Rte 1
Makanda, IL
618-457-6655

Little Grassy Lake from the Spillway “overlook”.
Get there by taking Giant City Rd. south from
Carbondale until Grassy Lake Rd. Turn Left and
enjoy drive to lake!

Shawnee National Forest
Crab Orchard, Lake Egypt & Devils Kitchen
618-253-7114

Washington County Lake Conservation Area
18500 Conservation Dr.,
Nashville, IL
618-327-3137

Illinois State Parks & Camps
11731 State Hwy 37
Benton, IL
618-435-8138

Lake Murphysboro State Park
52 Cinder Hill Rd
Murphysboro, IL
618-684-2867

Stephen Forbes State Park
“Omega Lake”
Omega, IL
618-547-3381

Department of Resources Shawnee National Forest Fishing Information

State of Illinois Tourism Bureau
Free Literature on Southern Illinois!
800-ABE-0121

Illinois Bureau of Tourism
Dept of Commerce & Community Affairs
800-226-663