Fishing Articles and Tips

Our fishing articles and tips about fishing in Illinois will be listed below with links to them. Links to printer friendly versions of articles will be provided at the bottom of each article.

We welcome fishing articles submitted by our visitors that feature Illinois lakes, ponds, and rivers. If you have an interesting technique for catching fish that has been successful, we invite you to share it with others who fish in Illinois.

If you don't enjoy writing about your fishing successes, we would be glad to receive photos of your Illinois fish catches to include in our Photo Gallery. Guidelines for submitting fishing articles and photos can be accessed from the links at the bottom of this page.

We want to emphasize that we are interested in all species of fish in Illinois and all methods of fishing for them, including trolling, bank fishing, tubing or wading for fish, fly fishing, etc.

Above all, we want you to enjoy the articles and tips we collect about fishing in Illinois. New articles will be added to the top of our list.

The goal of ILFishing.com is to feature articles about all species of fish in any body of water in Illinois. Occasionally there may be mutiple articles that discuss the same species, feature the same fishery, or are outside our main area of coverage.

Use the search box below to locate articles about a specific lake, species, or technique. You can also visit our Articles Site Map page, which contains a complete listing of all our articles.

  •  Lake Shelbyville Transformation Posted 7/05/10

  •  Reefin’ Summer Smallies Posted 6/21/10

  •  Bushel Baskets Full of Bass Posted 6/01/10

  •  Summertime Crappies Posted 5/28/10

  •  The Ponds in Spring Posted 5/11/10

  •  Anchors Away! Posted 5/11/10

  •  If It's Not Broke....... Posted 4/9/10

  •  Central Illinois Fishing Prospects Posted 3/13/10

  •  Late Ice Transition Time Posted 2/18/10

  •  Ummmmm...... Good Eats! Posted 1/22/10

  •  WHY "Poofing" Bottom Works Posted 1/17/10

  •  Early Morning Ice Fishing Posted 12/30/09

  •  Early Ice is Set by Fall Posted 12/12/09

  •  Buying a Fishing Rig- Part 2 Posted 11/27/09

  •  Two Great Weapons for Fishing Success Posted 11/11/09

  •  Fall Bass Fishing Posted 10/27/09

  •  Put This On Your "To Do" List Posted 10/06/09

  •  "Walleyes and Rocks" Posted 9/25/09

  •  "Dinner For Two" Posted 9/13/09

  •  Everything but the Kitchen Sink Posted 9/8/09

  •  Weed Muskies During Fall Posted 8/22/09

  •  Post-Game Analysis Posted 7/16/09

  •  "I Got One, I Got One!" Posted 6/27/09

  •  Wired2Fish Pros Fish Lake Evergreen Posted 6/18/09

  •  A Place Where Dreams Are Born Posted 6/9/09

  •  Walleyes and Weather Posted 6/4/09

  •  Summer Spoon Fishing Posted 6/4/09

  •  Panfish Tactics Posted 5/26/09

  •  Mix it up for Postspawn Bass Posted 5/13/09

  •  Bass Tournament Preparation Posted 4/30/09

  •  Grab Bag Fishing Posted 4/27/09

  •  Fishing Prospects for "Other" Species Posted 4/19/09

  •  Giving Back to the Fishery Posted 4/3/09

  •  Muskie Tactics in Central Illinois Posted 3/17/09

  •  Cold Water Bass Posted 3/12/09

  •  Buying a Fishing Rig Posted 2/27/09

  •  Fox Chain of Lakes Posted 2/13/09

  •  Fishing on the Cheap Posted 2/05/09

  •  Central Illinois Fishing Prospects Posted 1/26/09

  •  Spoonin' Ice Walleyes Posted 1/10/09

  •  Reflecting on Our Sport Posted 12/31/08

  •  When Pigs Go Fishing Posted 12/18/08

  •  Ice Fishing Safety Posted 12/08/08

  •  Ice Fishing Basics Posted 12/08/08

  •  Ice Fishing Mobility Posted 12/08/08

  •  Late Fall and Winter Crappies Posted 11/25/08

  •  Buying a Fishing Rig Posted 11/11/08

  •  Fall Bass and Water Temperature Posted 10/28/08

  •  Big Fall Crappies Posted 10/17/08

  •  Structure Fishing Paradise Posted 09/29/08

  •  Fishless in Pittsfield Posted 09/06/08

  •  Night Shift Walleye Posted 8/30/08

  •  Shallow, Summertime Bass Posted 8/16/08

  •  Smallmouth Tactics Posted 7/17/08

  •  A Fishing Day To Remember Posted 7/04/08

  •  The Need For Speed Posted 5/13/08

  •  Lake Bloomington Crappies Posted 5/08/08

  •  Where Crappies Grow on Trees Posted 4/28/08

  •  Pond Fishing Heaven Posted 4/28/08

  •   Muddy Water During the Spawn   Posted 4/24/08
       Part 2- Muddy Water During the Spawn

  •  Crappie Cover and Water Temperature Posted 4/16/08

  •  One Way to Beat Depression Posted 3/20/08

  •  Football Game.....What Game? Posted 2/18/08

  •  River Walleye Techniques Posted 2/17/08

  •  Got Fishing Fever?   Join a Club Posted 2/16/08

  •  Early Season Crappie Tools  Posted 2/10/08

  •  Spawning Walleye Secrets  Posted 2/10/08

  •  Study Nature to Catch Fish  Posted 1/30/08

  •  Trophy Catfishing  Posted 1/28/08

  •  Mastering the "Genz Pound"  Posted 12/24/07

  •  Your Best Ice Season Ever  Posted 12/09/07

  •  Winter Fishing Destinations  Posted 11/29/07

  •   Trophy Walleye Planner  Posted 11/25/07

  •   Carolina Rig Options  Posted 11/09/07

  •   Fishing and Shore Lunch with a Friend  Posted 10/31/07

  •   Fall Crappie Fishing   Posted 10/16/07

  •   Getting Kids Involved in Fishing   Posted 8/16/07

  •   Fish Bait, Dad, and Memories   Posted 8/01/07

  •   Don't Bother Me, I'm Fishing   Posted 7/10/07

  •   The Science of Bass Fishing   Posted 6/28/07

  •   Fishing From The Back Seat   Posted 6/06/07

  •   White Bass: A Fishing Guide's Savior   Posted 6/01/07

  •   A Good Source for Fishing Info   Posted 5/25/07

  •   Off The Beaten Path   Posted 5/23/07

  •   Ponds, Pits, and Remote Waters   Posted 5/19/07

  •   Live Bait Gives You Options   Posted 5/10/07

  •   The Best and Worst of Mother Nature   Posted 4/07/07
       Part 2- Welcome to Chillsville   Posted 4/08/07

  •   Trophy Muskie Techniques   Posted 4/06/07

  •   Why Fishermen Hate Weathermen   Posted 3/30/07

  •   Buying A New Trolling Motor   Posted 3/18/07

  •   So You Think You Need More Lures?   Posted 3/04/07

  •   Winter and Prespawn Bass Tactics   Posted 3/01/07

  •   Seasonal Tips for Saugeyes, Walleyes   Posted 2/21/07

  •   Dropshotting for Clear Water Bass   Posted 1/31/07

  •   Walleye Fishing Simplified   Posted 1/28/07

  •   Winter Crappie Tactics   Posted 1/10/07

  •   Advice from the "Crankbait King"   Posted 1/8/07

Those interested in submitting articles or tips to ILFishing.com should read our  Article Guidelines and visit the Submit Photos/Articles  page.