Best Area To Fish

[Coach B]

I know the answer to this question is going to be all opinion. Where is the best place to fish for both numbers and size on the Lower Illinois River?

[DaddyO]

There isn't a "best place" answer. This is a small tailwater that is stocked on a regular basis. Just pick a spot to access the river, look for water that you think will hold fish and it probably does. Zebra midges #16 and smaller in Black, Red, Brown, Olive or White will all catch fish. You didn't mention if you were fly fishing or spin cast.

I'm sure that rooster tails and small crawfish crank baites and rapalas as well as micro jigs will work also. Or, I guess, you can use Power Bait if you want.

Easy access points are below the dam on the Power site road. The Watts management area. Marval resort and a few access points below Marval.

Good luck and have fun.

[Coach B]

Thanks for the info DaddyO. I have fly fished down there probably a half dozen times over the last year with mixed results. I have always fished up near the dam usually on one end of the island or the other. Guess I need to go down below Watts and give it a go. The Lower Illinois is only about an hour from my house in Broken Arrow. I would like to know that water as well as I know the White, Norfork or Taney.

[BFTMASTER]

Something to keep in mind....

Look for active fish, if you are not seeing fish surface occasionally then move to where they are. On sunny days the fish will hold tighter in the deeper holes and overcast days they feel more secure and spread out more, not saying you won't catch fish in shallow flats on a sunny day, just that my theory holds true for me.

[joshuapaul]

The best place is hard to nail, but the best time is when the water is dropping. If you can catch it when they kill the generators that next 45 minutes will be gangbusters. Especially near watts or below. Fish are moving, finding new spots and actively feeding.

[TheTugistheDrug]

I have never been to the LIR except when the water flow is low. After they kill the generators how much different do the fish feed?

I can picture myself having a hard time keeping a dry in a drag-less drift...

Thanks!

[joshuapaul]

Last time I was able to fish the dropping water like that, we fished dries to rising fish. Hooked up about every other cast for almost an hour. Then after all the water receded it was like someone flipped a switch. Nothing. We went back to the typical "find a channel and nymph" that normally works. It was much slower, but we still caught fish. Not near as fun though.

That was also a beautiful couple of days and warmer than the previous week by about 15 degrees. That had to have something to do with it.