Fishing Lake Buckner In Illinois

I saw my Fiance off to work, poured the remaining coffee into a to go cup and loaded her Kayak up to head off. Today was going to be special. I was really excited because I was going to be fishing a lake I never even knew existed though it was less than ten miles from my home. As I took the back roads along Yellow Banks which intersects with the Big Muddy River I wondered how my fortunes would go. Would it be a slug fest from the get go? Would I have to work hard to catch a dinner? I crossed over the railroad tracks off of St. Route 14 just before 9:00 AM. As I wound around the home stretch I saw what any panfish fisherman would love to see. A secluded little lake with lily pads around the boat ramp. Now I admit I’m not a fan of fishing lily pads themselves, but rather the fertile vegetation is almost indicative of a healthy eco system so the potential was there for fishing Lake Buckner In Illinois

I launched the Kayak from an old gravel boat launch with my Phyllis Bluegill Bug in Appleseed/Chartreuse and set out to see if the bluegill and shellcracker were really as big as I’ve heard. Lake Buckner is a small 17 acre impoundment located just southeast of the little village. Buckner, like many small towns in southern Illinois was a mining town. At its peak it’s population rose to just under a thousand people. At the time of settlement it was still a very hostile area where natives and settlers were in constant conflict. Some settlers even met their deaths during these skirmishes. I thought one really interesting aspect was that at its peak, Buckner had 9 bars in the tiny town so alcohol was readily available.

It’s not easy Fishing Lake Buckner In Illinois in July!

I made at least a dozen casts around what looked to be hot spots. I threw my Phyllis Bluegill Bug along pads, parallel to cane and down logs to not so much as a whiff. It was still early and I’m not the kind to get discouraged at a chess match with the fish. Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of something moving in the water. A baby fawn with no real sense of urgency or care was making laps about 20 yards off of the bank swimming in circles. As I crept up toward the little fella, it retreated and stood at the bank in the cane. Apparently there was no parent around so I hope all works out for it. After this chance encounter my luck began to turn around.

Casting about 10 yards off of the bank my bobber sank viciously. This was in all likelihood not a bluegill. When the hook was set and the line began to roll I had little doubt what I had stuck. A channel catfish put up a very nice early fight. Once landed it was placed back into the lake to grow.

Little Lake, Big Bluegill!

I continued to make my way down the bank into a corner with no obvious structure that would indicate fish would be there. Sometimes that’s the problem. As fisherman we overthink things. In less than three feet of water I began catching bluegill, NICE Bluegill!

Since it was the middle of June, I was well aware before I got to the lake that the fish would not be aggressively defending their beds so I would have to search. Still yet they fought hard and the bites were vicious when one would venture into my area. While I didn’t catch them quickly, I did manage to catch a dozen or so of well above average bluegill for our area. The fish pictured below is one of my largest non hybrid bream I’d ever hooked.

After the area seemed to be fished out I paddled around the lake to more scout than fish. I was unable to catch anything else but was far from disappointed. I fully plan to come back here in the fall or winter to try my hand at some bottom feeding shellcracker off of the small drops I found.

Temperatures were approaching 90 degrees and it was time to go. As I drove off I just remembered feeling really thankful for finding such a nice little spot.