Lake Decatur Fishing Guide, Macon County, Illinois

• Overview

  Look for Lake Decatur in the Macon County part of Illinois. The bank is 610 feet above sea level. It covers about 4.5 sq miles, which means weather matters as much as tactics. There is roughly 27 miles of bank, and each arm behaves like its own water. Nothing else we list in Macon County covers more water. Some 3.3 miles away sits Long Creek, the nearest settlement. After that come Decatur at 3.5 miles and Mount Zion at 5.3 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lake Decatur

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Reported across Macon County: green sunfish, common carp, bluegill, channel catfish and fantail darter. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Lake Decatur fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 25°F and July at about 76°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The freeze here is occasional rather than annual. In a normal year the cover is thin and short-lived. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. Lake Decatur fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. A slipway is marked about half a mile from here. Mapping shows parking within half a mile. Catfish want bait on the bottom: cut bait or worms, a simple running rig, and patience after dark. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, A E Staley Cooling Lake is 1.3 miles distant. Nothing here settles the position at Lake Decatur for certain.