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Carlyle Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Illinois' biggest lake: sailboat wind, white bass waves and a sauger tailwater.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
193 cfs
Air / High
98 / 98 F
Wind
S 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 05593000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Carlyle Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 193 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 98. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

White bassFair

The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Similar at 101 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from KASKASKIA RIVER AT CARLYLE, IL.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 05593000.

4699821,494193 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp98 F
High / Low98 / 76 F
WindS 6-11 mph
Pressure1012.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:29 / 19:23
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Partly cloudy, 98/76 F, wind 8 mph, rain 1%

Fair or better. A 8 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Carlyle Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Carlyle Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
White bass
Northern pike
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Carlyle Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 98 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Walleye led the card at good. High of 98 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 98 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Illinois requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Sauger/walleye 14-inch/6 combined. Whites liberal. Confirm with IDNR.

Access

Coles Creek, West Access, Dam West ramps; tailwater bank access below.

About this water

26,000 acres on the Kaskaskia, Clinton/Fayette/Bond counties, IL. Corps, impounded 1967. Illinois' largest lake.

Fishing Carlyle Lake: the full guide

Big and breezy

Carlyle is 26,000 open acres: wind-swept flats where white bass and hybrids chase shad all summer, crappie stack the few timbered refuges, and the dam tailwater turns on for sauger and walleye every fall through spring. Not subtle water: pick the wind-blown banks and fish fast.

Wind-driven whites

Carlyle's white bass ride the wind: whichever mud line the southwest blow builds, the schools hunt its edge. Drifting with slabs or casting inline spinners along the color change out-produces structure fishing most summer days: read the wind, find the fish.

Sauger below

The dam tailwater turns on October-April: sauger (and walleye mixed) stack the spillway currents, jigged with minnows on the seams. It is the region's cold-weather standby when the main lake churns unfishable.

Common questions

Is Carlyle too rough to fish?

Wind builds fast on 26,000 shallow acres: small boats pick mornings and the lee shores. The tailwater and coves save wind-wrecked days.

Crappie beneath the whitecaps

Carlyle's crappie fishery thrives on what the wind builds: mudlines and current seams push bait onto the Coles Creek and Peppenhorst Branch structure, and spider-riggers work the 8-14-ft flats with double-minnow rigs whenever the chop allows. Spring buckbrush fishing is short and furious; the dependable program is summer trolling over the scattered stake beds. A 9-inch keeper culture keeps the fillet math honest.

Where do Carlyle anglers hide from the wind?

Peppenhorst and the Corps' coves on the west shore, plus the tailwater below the dam: somewhere is always fishable. The rule of thumb: whitecaps on the main lake mean crappie gear in the creeks.

Is fishing good at Carlyle Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Rend Lake44 miKinkaid Lake62 miLake Shelbyville68 miCedar Lake73 miLake Springfield73 miMeramec River74 mi
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