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Lake Springfield Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Springfield’s city lake: catfish, bluegill and largemouth in a 3,866-acre reservoir run by the city utility at the edge of the Illinois capital.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
17 cfs
Air / High
69 / 74 F
Wind
SSE 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 05576250, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Lake Springfield lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The release below the dam is running 17 cfs, falling. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 7 mph, falling pressure near 1024 hPa and a high of 74. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:34 AM-11:34 AM and 10:03 PM-12:03 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Largemouth bassExcellent

The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

WalleyeExcellent

Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

CrappieGood

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bassGood

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Tomorrow: Similar at 75 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Before you go

Illinois requires a fishing licence, from $15.00 for residents. What a Illinois licence costs and where to buy it →

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with IDNR before you keep anything. The season dates for Illinois, read off the agency, are on the Illinois seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from SUGAR CREEK NEAR SPRINGFIELD, IL (outflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 05576250.

9131817 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Today’s flow against 16 years of October 23

At 17 cfs, the flow at USGS gauge 05576250 (SUGAR CREEK NEAR SPRINGFIELD, IL (outflow)) is at the 44th percentile for the date: normal. In half of the 16 years of approved record the daily mean on October 23 was below 20 cfs; the highest was 165 cfs and the lowest 5 cfs.

p10 6median 20p90 124

Percentiles of the daily mean flow for this date, from the USGS Water Data Statistics API for gauge 05576250; today’s reading is the latest instantaneous value. Classes follow the ones the USGS used on its WaterWatch maps (retired at the end of 2025): below 10th, much below normal; 10th–24th, below; 25th–75th, normal; 76th–90th, above; over 90th, much above.

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp69 F
High / Low74 / 45 F
WindSSE 7-9 mph
Pressure1024.4 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:17 / 18:07
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Lake Springfield this week

The best day on Lake Springfield this week looks like Monday Oct 26, at 5 out of 5, against 4 today.

Best day this week: Monday, Oct 26 — excellent at 5/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 — Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
9:34 AM-11:34 AM and 10:03 PM-12:03 AM
Minor period
3:56 AM-4:56 AM
Sun
07:17 to 18:07
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 7 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. The main feeding season after the spawn: work moving baits along weed edges, points and wood, and follow up with a soft plastic where a fish swirls.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

When to come: the Lake Springfield 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
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
Walleye
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 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 Lake Springfield today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 75 F, wind to 5 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Largemouth bass led the card at good. High of 73 F, wind to 5 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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

Illinois fishing license for anglers 16 and older. CWLP and IDNR lake rules: largemouth bass 15-inch minimum, 6 per day; walleye and sauger 14-inch minimum, 6 per day; crappie 10-inch minimum, 10 per day; two poles, no more than two hooks each; no trotlines, jugs or bank poles. Keep the required distance from leased residential property.

Access

Seven CWLP launches (Center Park Sailboat Launch, Center Park Harbor, Glasser Fishing Area, Lake Springfield Marina, Lindsay Bridge, Marine Point, Spaulding Dam); public fishing areas at the Dividing Dam, Marine Point and Sunset View; ADA piers at Tom Madonia parks and Center Park Harbor.

About this water

A 3,866-acre reservoir (IDNR) on Lick and Sugar creeks at the southeast edge of Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, built in 1931 and managed by City Water, Light and Power.

Fishing Lake Springfield: the full guide

A utility lake

IDNR’s iFish page puts Lake Springfield at 3,866 acres on the southeast edge of Springfield, built in 1931 by damming Lick and Sugar creeks, with a maximum depth of about 30 feet. City Water, Light and Power, the city utility, sets the lake’s fishing and boating rules and counts about 15 sport fish among nearly 40 species.

Catfish, bluegill and bass

IDNR rates flathead catfish and bluegill as excellent, and channel catfish and largemouth bass as very good, calling it one of the state’s best catfish lakes and noting that its bass are 25 percent heavier for their length than the statewide average. Blue catfish, walleye and white bass are listed as developing and crappie as improving; about 220,000 blue catfish have been stocked since 2010.

Winter water and shore fishing

IDNR notes that a small power plant on the lake keeps the lower end open to fishing year-round. CWLP lists posted public fishing areas at the Dividing Dam, Marine Point at Island Bay Lane and Sunset View on East Lake Drive, and ADA-accessible piers between East and West Tom Madonia parks and at Center Park Harbor. Fishing from the Lincoln Memorial Garden shoreline is not allowed.

Boating

Every boat on the lake needs a CWLP boat license in addition to Illinois registration; licenses run from April 1 to March 31, and the fee depends on boat class and where the owner lives. CWLP lists seven public launches: Center Park Sailboat Launch, Center Park Harbor, Glasser Fishing Area, Lake Springfield Marina, Lindsay Bridge, Marine Point and Spaulding Dam. Fishing from a boat close to Spaulding Dam is prohibited.

Common questions

Do I need a city license for my boat?

Yes. CWLP requires its own annual boat license, valid April 1 to March 31, on top of Illinois registration.

Can I fish in winter?

IDNR notes that a small power plant keeps the lower end of the lake open to fishing year-round.

Where can I fish from shore?

CWLP posts public fishing areas at the Dividing Dam, Marine Point and Sunset View, with ADA piers at the Tom Madonia parks and Center Park Harbor.

Is fishing good at Lake Springfield right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Lake Shelbyville53 miClinton Lake53 miCarlyle Lake73 miMeramec River99 miRend Lake116 miMark Twain Lake117 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 05576250 — SUGAR CREEK NEAR SPRINGFIELD, IL (outflow)
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 16:30 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 39.7200, -89.6000 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.