Fishing at Elkville Reservoir, Jackson County, Illinois

• Overview

  Elkville Reservoir stands in Jackson County, Illinois. The ground around here is open valley. It measures about 53 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The edge runs 1.3 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Ground here is low by Illinois standards. The closest town, De Soto, is 4 miles distant. The big place round here is St. Louis, 74 miles distant. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Elkville Reservoir

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. Public occurrence data for Jackson County names bluegill, orangethroat darter, green sunfish and largemouth bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Elkville Reservoir where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 31°F in January and 79°F in July. The calendar is generous: something works in nearly every month. It is not guaranteed even in a cold spell, so check yourself. Spring and autumn carry the year; summer squeezes it into the ends of the day. Elkville Reservoir fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Snider Lake at 3.4 miles is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Elkville Reservoir for certain.