So I am new to southern Illinois and I am just stumped on how different fishing up here is than back in South Carolina. Does anyone have any tips and tricks and or advice on what to use up here for bass? I just can’t seem to find the right rig.

Welcome to BR

The more information you can provide as to the type of lake, water clarity, fishing from the bank, etc. the better your chances of getting useful information.

You can also try the fishing location forum, I believe Illinois is under the northeast. You can access it by clicking on the forums tab. A new page will load. Just scroll down until you see it.

Generally, the same techniques that you used in SC will work, but always keep in mind that you need to locate the fish first. It's possible you are fishing dead water. A good place to start is on the web. Do a search on the lake that you're targeting. Most have a site or two with fishing reports that can point you in the right direction.