Sylvan Slough, Illinois: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  You will find Sylvan Slough in Rock Island County, Illinois. The bank gives way to pine and birch. Head to Rock Island, 0.4 miles away, for anything you forgot. Davenport lies 0.7 miles off, Moline another 3 miles. Other water nearby: Moline Pool sits 2.4 miles out, Carp Lake a touch under 4.1 miles, Shooks Pond sits 4.6 miles out, Northeast Lake a touch under 5.5 miles and I-280 Lake sits 5.5 miles out. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Sylvan Slough

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Undercut banks hold fish that the middle of the river never will. Slack water behind an obstruction is worth more than open current. Open biodiversity records for Rock Island County list channel catfish, goldfish and common carp. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The near bank of Sylvan Slough is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 76°F and January about 21°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Winter narrows this to the open runs; full flow returns around mid March. The lid tends to go about mid March and return around mid December. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Sylvan Slough runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Launching is possible: a slipway lies half a mile off. There is recorded parking some 140 yards off. A pier or jetty stands 40 yards away, which helps on a crowded bank. A picnic area is mapped about 0.9 miles away. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Moline Pool, 2.4 miles out.