Panther Creek State ParkIf you enjoy fishing for the meat and potatoes species of Illinois fish (panfish, bass, and catfish), enjoy fishing clear-water lakes with flooded timber and plentiful vegetation, and prefer visiting a park with excellent facilities for families, you should consider Panther Creek State Park. Officially named Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area, Panther Creek is a 26-square-mile park located in Cass County, 25 miles northwest of Springfield. On June 26, my fishing partner and I spent the day fishing the three largest lakes located on the property that have boat ramp access. The lakes have a lot in common. They all contain water that is relatively clear by Illinois standards. A white lure can be seen five to seven feet under water in each lake. Another common feature is that, with a couple of exceptions, the lakes are similarly stocked with panfish, bass, and channel catfish. Unknown individuals have introduced crappies into all three lakes and northern pike into Prairie Lake, but those species are not stocked. However, 14-inch crappies were caught in Gridley and Prairie Lakes this year. Muskies have been stocked only in Prairie Lake and have a one-fish, 48-inch daily limit. The following limits are imposed on all the lakes: channel catfish- six fish per day with a two-pole limit per person and bass- 3 fish per day that must be a minimum of 15 inches. There are no size or quantity limits on either bluegills or crappies. Park management allows boaters to use their outboard motors when launching or leaving the lakes, despite the trolling-motor-only rule on the smaller Gridley and Drake Lakes. At the larger Prairie Lake, boaters with a maximum of 10 h.p. motors can run the lake at any speed while larger motors must be operated at no-wake speed. Before heading to the first lake, we stopped at the campground to purchase bait. This day wax worms and nightcrawlers were available. The campground borders Prairie Lake and is equipped with a full bath house (which was being immaculately scrubbed while we were there), playground equipment, pay phone, and beverage vending machine. It is open all year. Each campsite has a concrete slab with electricity, a grill, and picnic table. Water, shelters, and restrooms are scattered throughout the facility and there are nine lakeside cabins available for rent that each have a porch, grill, and picnic table. There is also a boat dock located nearby so campers can dock their boats overnight. Gridley Lake We started our day at Gridley Lake, which is the smallest of the three lakes at 25 surface acres. The parking lot was empty on this Monday morning at 8:30 and the water temperature was a mild 79 degrees. Gridley has a one-lane boat ramp with a small dock, as well as a fishing pier, restrooms, grill, and shelter with enough picnic tables to seat at least 60 people. Along with clear water, Gridley contains flooded timber, with much of it being in 20 feet of water or more. Maximum water depth is nearly 45 feet. The lake has steep dropoffs close to shore, except for two pockets at the east end of the lake and one area next to the boat ramp on the north shore. If you like to fish matted vegetation with plastic frogs or rats, these areas would be the place to try during summer. A smaller boat would more easily maneuver through the flooded timber, but we managed in our 17-footer. Site Superintendent Mike Wickens says that Gridley, being the oldest of the three lakes, has the largest bass and catfish. During our two hours of fishing, we caught numerous small bluegills on slip bobber rigs with wax worms and one 20-inch channel catfish on a piece of nightcrawler. This lake would lend itself to teaching children the fun of fishing by catching countless panfish with the opportunity for a large bass or catfish. Drake Lake Our second stop was 35-acre Drake Lake, which also has a one-lane boat ramp, restrooms, shelter, grill, and unlike Gridley, a vending machine. Drake has similar water clarity to Gridley, but it doesn't have the percentage of shoreline weed growth and it has no visible flooded timber. It does have lots of points and pockets that contain laydowns and flooded brush at the shoreline. Maximum water depth is nearly 45 feet. Wickens says that Drake, the newest of the three lakes, has good numbers of bass up to 16 inches and the best population of large bluegills and redears of the three lakes. The shoreline dropoff is not as steep at Drake as either Gridley or Prairie lakes, thus the points and pockets have a higher percentage of shallow water. We caught several 12-14 inch bass on Texas and Carolina-rigged worms during our two-hour stay and missed a 2 1/2 pound bass at the boat on a chartreuse french fry. We also caught several bluegills that averaged larger than the other two lakes. Wickens pointed out that all three lakes have planted brushpiles, but Drake has a higher percentage of them in the shallower coves and pockets. This lake would be a great place to teach kids the basics of bass fishing when it comes to fishing points, pockets, and worm fishing in brushpiles. Like Gridley Lake, it would be easier to fish than Prairie Lake on a windy day. Prairie Lake The largest lake at Panther Creek is 210 acre Prairie Lake. It has a two-lane boat ramp, fishing pier, restrooms, vending machine, a fish-cleaning station, and large parking lot. There is an on-the-lake shelter with a grill and fireplace located near the campground. Prairie is a much larger version of Gridley Lake with steep dropoffs near the shoreline, plentiful matted vegetation, and flooded timber. The lake shallows up on the west end where there are a couple of wooded, weedy pockets, but there is lots of open water for those who enjoy trolling. The lake has depths of 95 feet near the dam with the average depth being 15 feet. There are not as many obvious points and pockets at Prairie Lake and boat control could become a problem on a windy day. There is a large weed flat east of the dam, located between two areas of flooded timber, and an abundance of deep weed growth. We caught more bass at Drake then at Prairie Lake, but we temporarily boated a nice three-pounder on a blue fleck plastic worm that had just enough energy to flip itself back into the lake. This was the largest bass of the day and typical of fishing- he got away. We also caught countless bluegills on wax worms that averaged much smaller than those at Gridley and Drake Lakes. Wickens confirmed that Prairie has a good population of bass up to seven pounds, but the smallest bluegills of the three lakes. Prairie lake would be a good choice for those who enjoy bass or muskie fishing and trolling would be an option. It also has the advantage of having the campground, playground equipment, and fish-cleaning station nearby. Other Opportunities In addition to the three larger lakes at Panther Creek, there are several ponds and streams on the property for those seeking more solitude. Ten of the ponds have been renovated and many contain large bass and panfish. The park also offers equestrian, hiking, and biking trails as well as hunting opportunities. The entire facility is similar to Snakeden Hollow near Victoria in that it lakes are spread out on the property and have clear water with abundant flooded timber. Although the park is a little off the beaten path and not particularly convenient to get to from all directions, once you are inside the park there are decent, well-marked blacktop roads connecting the recreation areas. We found the staff we met at the park office, bath house, and campground to be very courteous and helpful. Directions can be found on the Illinois DNR web site, located at: |