Hello everyone,

I'm just a kid going to college at the U of Illinois in Champaign, IL, which means I'm stuck in a small town without any good lakes nearby. I just recently took up fishing as a hobby, but I'm not very familiar with the local waters in Central IL.

Is anyone willing to show a newbie the ropes to bass fishing around here?

if u have a boat u should try newton lake its the best bass lake ive ever fished its probably an hour and a half south of you

If it weren't for all these pesky student loans, I probably would have a boat by now.  :

Know any places with decent shore fishing?

im from pekin its about an hour and a half away or so. i have an open seat from time to time. if your willing to make the drive im willing to put you on some fish

Sounds good - I actually have a buddy from Peoria, which is nearby. I assume we will be hitting up Pekin Lake or Peoria Lake?

Just let me know when you have an open seat and I will try to make it there.

not so much on the pekin or peoria lake (river fishin)... pekin lake is a mud hole also. banner marsh is a favorite of mine and i also fish a private lake quite a bit. just depends how you would want to fish. banner is muck and weeds my favorite lots of froggin water!! the private lake is open water with lots of laydowns and no weeds whatsoever.

There is a pond behind my house full of bass if you ever want to give it a shot...  I am by Parkland

Really? That would be wonderful. Here I was thinking all the water in C-U were either fished out or just plain bad.

I've tried Kaufman Lake repeatedly with no luck. Ended up catching creek chubs in the little stream next to the lake just so I could tell myself that at least I caught something.

Mattis Lake atm is experiencing a full-blown algal bloom - more than half of it is covered, and there's goose crap all over the shoreline.

Good to know that there are still places locally that have bass. 

There are still a few spots around here lol.

If you ever want to try the pond I live on you should at least have a buzzbait, fluke in pearl white, texas rigged creature or craw bait.  Those will produce best for ya.

You should join the bass club at your school.

Where is Mattis Lake/pond at???  I have been living in Champaign my whole life and never heard of that lake.

It's right off of Devonshire.

You can find it on google maps. Just type in "Mattis Lake Champaign".

Duh lol, I knew that.  After the 4th of July we would always walk around that lake to find fireworks people lost/forgot about. 

If you walked by there this 4th of July, gosh.. you'd know what I meant. Literally could not walk along the shoreline without stepping in poo. And the algae... all over the lake and along the shoreline.

So - about that pond behind your house...

How do I get there? Where do I park?

Is it private? If so, are there any rules?

Lastly, are you up for showing a newbie a few tricks on that pond?

Lots of choices in the Bloomington Normal region...some from shore, some by boat. 

You should also give Clinton a try...tearing them up there lately.

Where at on Clinton if you dont mind me asking?

Using cranks?

Mostly t-rig on laydowns close to deep water.  Water seems up and bass are scattered on the shoreline again.  Can't wait till the water drops and they stack up on points and so forth. 

A productive spot has been across from the dam on a couple edges right before the point.

You might want to consider trying Kickapoo St. Park just east of Champaign.  It is about 20-25 minute drive off of I-74 in Vermilion county.  It is full of ponds that can be fished from shore.  That was one of my go to places before getting a boat. 

Mostly t-rig on laydowns close to deep water. Water seems up and bass are scattered on the shoreline again. Can't wait till the water drops and they stack up on points and so forth.

A productive spot has been across from the dam on a couple edges right before the point.

Thanks, that is some useful info!

Just be careful not to fall in the water! 

http://pantagraph.com/news/local/article_bea8893e-8de4-11df-af9d-001cc4c03286.html

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/health/health-care/2010-07-14/warning-signs-posted-around-clinton-lake-after-urbana-girl-gets-s

Which ponds in Kickapoo would you recommend?

Long Pond, Clear Pond (lots of Rainbow Trout), and Sportsmans Lake are all good.  The water is very clear in all these places. Caught lots of fish from each pond along weed edges using soft plastics and spinners.