Lake Springfield fishing: Walleye, Channel Catfish, Blue Catfish

Target species: Walleye, Channel Catfish, Blue Catfish, Northern Pike
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Lake Springfield.

The lake

Lake Springfield covers 3,972 acres in Illinois, across Sangamon County. It is a lake: 99.4% of it is 20 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 22 feet (6.7 m). Our records hold 5 species for this water.

Bay Island Lake Springfield.jpg
User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 22 ft (6.7 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 99.4% of the water is 20 feet or shallower. We hold 164 depth contour lines for this water.

Lindsay Bridge Lake Springfield below from north.jpg
Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • 0–2 ft: 3.3% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 7.4% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 10.6% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 10.7% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 10.3% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 9.6% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 9.8% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 13.5% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 12.4% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 11.8% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 0.7% of the water

Stocking: 222,957 fish, 2022–2026

Illinois DNR Division of Fisheries records list 222,957 fish released into this water from 2022 to 2026.

Madonia Park bridge from NE.jpg
User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Walleye: 124,322 in 2025–2026
  • Blue Catfish: 98,455 in 2022–2026
  • Channel Catfish: 180 in 2024

4 target fish, led by Walleye

  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Blue Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.

Also recorded here: Common Carp.

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 0.9–2.2 feet on our readings, averaging 1.5 feet, from 227 readings. Our water temperature readings average 77°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.7. These readings span 2016–2024.

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 boat ramp and 1 shore access point.

  • Lake Springfield — Springfield. 17 Waters Edge Boulevard, Springfield 62712 · phone +1-217-483-3625 · website lakespringfieldmarina.com

Shore access for bank fishing

  • Hazel Dell Fishing Area website cwlp.com/LakesParksHome/LakesParksInformation/ParksInformation.aspx

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 2 places in this list: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

What is hard here

Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish.

Where this data comes from

  • Illinois Department of Natural Resources — Illinois Department of Natural Resources: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom, 2020.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.