Lake Mattoon Fishing in Cumberland County, Illinois

• Overview

  Within Cumberland County, Illinois, you have Lake Mattoon. The surface lies 630 feet up. At 908 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. At about 13 miles of edge, most people work one arm at a time. By size it stands out even at Illinois level. For a base, Neoga sits 2.7 miles out. The big place round here is Springfield, 70 miles distant. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Lake Mattoon

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Survey and observation records for Cumberland County include green sunfish, white sucker and bluegill. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Lake Mattoon the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 76°F and January about 26°F. A lid forms in a hard winter only. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to fish here. The season on Lake Mattoon rarely departs from it. Overcast days spread the fishing across more hours.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Lake Mattoon Marina sits 170 yards off, with launching and moorings. A campsite lies half a mile away for anyone staying over. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Brush Creek, 1.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Lake Mattoon should be assumed from this page alone.