Illinois River
Published: Updated:
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Winter (Current)
Illinois River Overview
SLOWWind (mph)FAST
01020406080100
Top Techniques Reported for Smallmouth Bass + Winter
- Vertical Jigging Mid Depth (10-19')1
Total Fishing Reports
12
Top Species Reported for Winter
Largemouth Bass1 Report- Smallmouth Bass1 Report
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Fishing Reports
12 Reports on Illinois RiverSort by
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Spring (Pre-Spawn)
Technique
Hard Jerkbaits
Structure
River Channels
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
52°
Species
Smallmouth BassSeason
Winter
Technique
Vertical Jigging 10-19'
Structure
Points
Forage
Shad
Water Temperature
42°
Had to fight for them today, but once I found them it was domination. It’s cold out and the river is high. That’s not going to stop me from one-upping Mother Nature. Bass and walleyes were all 7-10 feet deep off of points relating to baitfish. I’ve told you all before “find the bait-find the fish,” and find the fish I did! It’s all about vertical jigging right now. Just like Usher used to sing “nice and slow, that’s the tempo.” Get on top of em and work the bait slow. The FF minnow was a finesse touch that sealed the deal. Like Tony Danza my Damiki Vault showed a few young walleyes “who’s the boss.” Great day on the water and I am damn proud to be an American. See you in the woods or on the water! -GrundyBassman
Species
Largemouth BassSeason
Spring (Spawn)
Technique
Texas Rigs (Pitch/Flip)
Structure
Docks
Forage
Crawfish
Water Temperature
55°
Did a tournament on the Des Plaines/Kankakee/Illinois river the other day. We got 7th out of 40 boats and got a limit and culled 4 times. Our bag was 9.49 and big bass was 2.74. It was a good tourney and caught a lot of fish including a drum. The temperature was 55.7 and the bass were stuck on structure both deep and shallow. We got them under docks flipping and hopping.
Top Fishing Techniques
for Smallmouth Bass + WinterChoose from techniques based on Illinois River fishing reports.
