Species

Rank

Fish Status

BLUEGILL

Fair

Bluegill fishing is fair. Few fish collected exceed 7.5 inches.

CARP

Good

Common carp are abundant with fish exceeding 11 lbs.

CHANNEL CATFISH

Very Good

Channel catfish are abundant in the lake through natural recruitment. The average catch goes from 1 - 4 lbs., with the occasional fish over 10 pounds caught.

CRAPPIE

Excellent

Both white and black crappie are abundant. Growth rates are good. Anglers may still catch crappie up to 14+ inches and 1.3 lbs with a good number of fish over the 10-inch mminimum harvest.

FLATHEAD CATFISH

Good

Flathead catfish are high in abundance with trophy-sized fish up to 60 pounds caught recently.

FRESHWATER DRUM

Excellent

Freshwater Drum, commonly called drum “perch”, are abundant with fish exceeding 10 lbs.

HYBRID STRIPED BASS (WIPERS)

Fair

are stocked annually with population density varying with stocking density and emigration over the spillway. Numbers of hybrids are caught below the spillway in early spring, however they can be found in the lake by those who target them.

LARGEMOUTH BASS

Fair

are moderate in abundance due to a lack of aquatic vegetation for nursery habitat. Bass from ½ - 4 lbs. have been collected in surveys with fish over 5 lbs. caught by anglers on occasion. Efforts to establish aquatic vegetation will hopefully improve the largemouth bass fishery.

WALLEYE

Excellent

are abundant with a very healthy population of young-of-year through 6+lb fish observed during our annual survey. Growth rates are great, with many of the fish at or above 14”.

WHITE BASS

Excellent

are usually very abundant in Lake Decatur. They have excellent growth rates and fish exceeding 2 lbs are routinely collected in IDNR surveys. A fish kill affecting only white bass occurred during the summer of 2020, however the population will likely recover quickly.