Shabbona Lake fishing: Muskellunge, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass

Target species: Muskellunge, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Sunshine Bass

The lake

Shabbona Lake covers 315 acres in Illinois, across DeKalb County. It is a lake: 91.5% of it is 30 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 40 feet (12.2 m). Our records hold 9 species for this water.

Gfp-illinois-shabbona-lake-state-park-lake-landscape.jpg
Yinan Chen · Public Domain

7 target fish, led by Muskellunge

  • Muskellunge — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Sunshine Bass — Feeding water: 70–80°F. Nonnative.

Also recorded here: White Bass, Common Carp.

Gfp-illinois-shabbona-lake-state-park-lake.jpg
Yinan Chen · Public Domain

Stocking: 271,789 fish, 2022–2026

Illinois DNR Division of Fisheries records list 271,789 fish released into this water from 2022 to 2026.

Gfp-illinois-shabbona-lake-state-park-icy-lake.jpg
Yinan Chen · Public Domain
  • Walleye: 147,544 in 2022–2026
  • Largemouth Bass: 30,426 in 2023–2026
  • Channel Catfish: 30,180 in 2022–2026
  • Bluegill: 17,040 in 2025
  • Smallmouth Bass: 5,139 in 2026
  • Muskellunge: 650 in 2024–2026

One more species on the stocking list.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 40 ft (12.2 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 91.5% of the water is 30 feet or shallower. We hold 39 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–2 ft: 6.6% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 8.9% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 8.8% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 8.5% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 7.5% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 6.2% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 5.9% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 5.8% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 5.5% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 5.6% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 4.9% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 4.8% of the water
  • 24–26 ft: 4.7% of the water
  • 26–28 ft: 4% of the water
  • 28–30 ft: 3.8% of the water
  • 30–32 ft: 3.2% of the water
  • 32–34 ft: 2.5% of the water
  • 34–36 ft: 2.4% of the water
  • 36–38 ft: 0.6% of the water

Water and conditions

Our water temperature readings average 70°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.3. These readings span 2017–2022. The latest reading is from 2022, more than three years ago: read these numbers as history, not as the water today.

Where this data comes from

  • Illinois Department of Natural Resources — Illinois Department of Natural Resources: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom, 1999.
  • 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.