Turkey Hollow Reservoir, Illinois: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Illinois holds Turkey Hollow Reservoir, in Rock Island County. This is rolling bush ground. Small at around 5 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Our Rock Island County list holds plenty of bigger water. The nearest town is Andalusia, 3.2 miles away. Buffalo lies 4.2 miles off, Milan another 5.9 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Turkey Hollow Reservoir

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Fish documented in Rock Island County include channel catfish, goldfish, common carp and freshwater drum. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Turkey Hollow Reservoir the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 20°F to 74°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The lid usually goes in mid March, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Climate averages put the opening at about mid March and the closing near mid December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. It sets the rhythm of the year at Turkey Hollow Reservoir.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. If the gate is shut, Hidden Lake at 3.2 miles is the nearest alternative. None of that is settled for Turkey Hollow Reservoir in what we hold.