Reservoir · Franklin, Illinois
Rend Lake
Rend Lake
Reservoir · Illinois
Information Only
StrikeTracks does not currently provide a live condition rating for this destination. Destination and fishery information is still available.
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Fishery Profile
Documented species you may encounter at Rend Lake.
Species images are AI-generated illustrations for visual reference and may simplify natural variation. Fishery records are based on the cited agency sources. About fish illustrations
Fishery overview
Rend Lake is Illinois's second-largest impoundment, a USACE / IDNR southern Illinois channel catfish, crappie, and white bass fishery along I-57 near Benton. StrikeTracks publishes complete static Fishery with catalog-visible Unavailable conditions because no same-lake live USGS 00010 exists. Big Muddy 05599490 is not this lake. This is not Carlyle Lake and not Crab Orchard Lake.
Target species
Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
IDNR describes Rend Lake as a premier southern Illinois channel catfish water. Not Carlyle Lake.
Source: Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Fisheries
White Crappie
Pomoxis annularis
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
Rend Lake white crappie.
Source: Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Fisheries
Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
Rend Lake black crappie.
Source: Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Fisheries
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus nigricans
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
Rend Lake largemouth bass. Hybrid striped bass and largemouth are stocked when available.
Source: Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Fisheries
White Bass
Morone chrysops
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
Rend Lake white bass.
Source: Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Fisheries
Hybrid Striped Bass
Morone saxatilis × Morone chrysops
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
Rend Lake hybrid striped bass stocking when available.
Source: Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Fisheries
Fishery characteristics
- Composition
- Mixed wild and stocked
Large shallow USACE flood-control pool on the Big Muddy River in Franklin and Jefferson counties (max about 35 feet). Distinct from Carlyle on the Kaskaskia and from Crab Orchard refuge water.
Best seasons
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
Common techniques
- Boat fishing
- Shore fishing
- Spinning
- Trolling
Access and Public Fishing Rights
USACE Rend Lake and iFishIllinois document public ramps around the project. Catalog coordinates are the mid-lake point, not USGS 05599490.
Stocking information
IDNR stocks hybrid striped bass and largemouth bass when available. Confirm current official iFishIllinois stocking records.
- Stocked
Largemouth Bass
Stocked · Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Fisheries
- Stocked
Hybrid Striped Bass
Stocked · Illinois Department of Natural Resources Division of Fisheries
Official sources
Illinois inland and Rend Lake site-specific regulations apply, including bass, crappie, and hybrid-striped-bass rules. Do not treat Carlyle or Crab Orchard rules as this destination. Confirm current IDNR regulations.
conditionPublicationPolicy=static-value-structural-unavailable. Rend Lake is Illinois's second-largest impoundment (about 18,900–20,633 acres at normal pool) with USACE ramps and an independently documented channel catfish, crappie, and white bass fishery in Franklin and Jefferson counties. inlandHasCompleteStaticFisheryValue passes. USGS 05599490 Big Muddy River at Murphysboro is the river, not Rend pool 00010; using it would be a tailwater/nearby-river-to-lake remap. HIGH plus PATH B does not auto-approve; public Unavailable is approved because Rend is a destination-specific southern Illinois USACE reservoir whose honest Unavailable plus complete static Fishery is useful independently of Carlyle, Crab Orchard, or Kinkaid. This justification is Rend-specific and does not copy Carlyle or Crab Orchard prose.
Location and Access
Cataloged lake location
Franklin, Illinois
The map marker represents the cataloged waterbody or monitoring location and may not indicate legal parking or public access. Confirm access through the official information before visiting.
Lake Details
County
Franklin
Management Category
USACE / Illinois DNR flood-control reservoir
Regulation Scope
Rend Lake
Regulation Summary
Rend Lake: Illinois inland fishing regulations at the USACE Rend Lake project. Confirm current official regulations.
Target Species
Channel Catfish, White Crappie, White Bass, Largemouth Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass
Public Access
Public
Boat Launch
Available
Shore Fishing
Available
Description
Rend Lake, Franklin / Jefferson counties, Illinois. About 18,900–20,633-acre USACE reservoir. Catalog-visible Unavailable: no same-lake live USGS water temperature (00010). Big Muddy at Murphysboro 05599490 is the river below the system, not pool thermal. Not Carlyle Lake and not Crab Orchard Lake.
