All persons fishing from Lake Springfield will be governed by the State of Illinois fish code and all its amendments.

In addition, the following rules and regulations will be applied:

• Fishing from a boat in the immediate vicinity of Spaulding Dam is prohibited. The actual off-limits area is designated by a line of "no boat" buoys. Persons are prohibited from conducting any type of recreational water activity in the portion of the lake that lies between these buoys and the dam.
• Fish may not be caught off the shore or within 35 feet of the shore of leased properties unless the fisherman has the consent of the lessee. Fishing is NOT allowed from the shoreline of Lincoln Memorial Garden.
• In most cases, fish and other aquatic life may be caught using only a hook attached to a single line. The exception to this is that pitchforks, underwater spear guns, bows and arrows (or a bow and arrow device), spears or gigs are also permitted for the capture of carp, buffalo, suckers, gar and bowfin only in the Sugar Creek arm of the lake that lies west of a line extending northward from the Bridgeview Park “point” to the shore of the Wildlife Sanctuary and in the Lick Creek arm of the lake that lies west of the Union Pacific Railroad bridge.
• Using artificial light to catch fish and other aquatic life is prohibited.
• Persons catching largemouth bass less than 15 inches in length; walleye and sauger less than 14 inches in length; or crappie less than 10 inches in length are required by state law to release these fish back into the lake. Persons catching female bass that are full of eggs are also encouraged to return these fish to the lake, regardless of their length. In addition, fishermen are allowed to keep only 6 largemouth bass, 6 walleye, or 10 crappies per day.
• Persons fishing from Lake Springfield are to obey any authorized signs temporarily or permanently suspending fishing activities anywhere on the lake or along its shoreline.
• Persons using the waters or drainage area of Lake Springfield for fishing or any other activity must not create any unsanitary conditions that could pollute the lake or its environs or make any part of the waters unwholesome or unfit for use.

Lake Springfield is host to nearly 40 species and several hybrid fish. Of these, approximately 15 are considered sport fish species: channel catfish, crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, flathead catfish, carp, striped bass, white bass, yellow bass, black bullhead, yellow bullhead, walleye, and redear sunfish.

Lake users should be aware that it is illegal for unauthorized persons to release fish obtained from other places—including unused bait fish—into Lake Springfield.

The northern arm of Lake Springfield is home to multiple fish “attractors,” thanks to a partnership between the Springfield Crappie Club and CWLP. There are 10 sites with a total of 60 man-made fish habitat structures, which are composed of recycled drainage tile and PVC piping. All materials for the structures are nontoxic and non-carcinogenic. These structures provide habitat and a better concentration of game fish to this popular fishing region of the lake.
See Map

When discarded improperly, fishing line and lures can pose a danger to birds and other wildlife. Fishing line and lure recycling stations are situated at 11 locations around Lake Springfield. All of the line and lures left at the stations are recycled and sent to a company that repurposes the material into plastic benches, fish habitats and other uses. This small step in recycling lure and line goes a long way in protecting the Lake Springfield ecosystem. For further information, contact the CWLP Land & Water Resources office at 217.757.8660.

• Bridgeview Park T-Dock
• Center Park Harbor Point Fishing Area
• Chatham S-Curve Fishing Area
• Dividing Dam Fishing Area north of Center Park
• E. Hazel Dell Lane at W. Lake Drive Fishing Area
• Lindsay Bridge Boat launch
• Marine Point
• Spaulding Dam Boat Launch
• Sunset Fishing Area
• Tom Madonia Park Fishing Bridge
• W. Cotton Hill Park

Currently, there is no Fish Consumption Advisory in effect for any fish caught in Lake Springfield.

Over time, heavy metals and pesticides that erode or leach into open bodies of water can accumulate inside the tissues of the fish occupying those waters.

Each year, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) surveys the fish populations in many bodies of water across the state to determine the degree to which different fish might be contaminated by hazardous chemicals or heavy metals. In particular, they watch for the presence of methyl mercury and four known carcinogens (chlordane, dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, and PCB), which have been shown to exist in elevated levels in some fish populations statewide. When high levels of any of these substances are detected in a waterway's fish population, DNR issues a Fish Consumption Advisory. The advisory alerts consumers to the level of contamination that has been detected and provides maximum recommended consumption rates for the contaminated fish.

In the past, a number of different fish from Lake Springfield have been included in DNR's Fish Consumption Advisory. However, a steady decline in chemical contamination levels in the lake as a whole gradually reduced both the number of fish included in the Advisory and the severity of the risk posed by their consumption. Currently, there is no specific consumption advisory in effect for any fish caught in Lake Springfield. However, Lake Springfield falls under a general state-wide methyl mercury advisory aimed at children and women of child-bearing years. These individuals tend to be more at risk for the effects of the heavy metal, which can be found in varying levels in many predator fish. Because even a small amount of methyl mercury has the potential to cause developmental and other significant damage to a fetus or child, the State of Illinois recommends that children under age 15 and women who are or may become pregnant eat no more than one meal per week of predator fish from any source. Persons not in these two groups can safely eat as many meals as they wish of predator fish caught in Lake Springfield. Predator fish include all species of black bass (largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted), striped bass, white bass, hybrid striped bass, walleye, sauger, saugeye, flathead catfish, muskellunge, and northern pike.

CWLP welcomes fishing tournaments on Lake Springfield. However, because we have limited boat launch facilities, we must control the number of tournaments and participants, especially during the regular boating season.

If you are interested in hosting a tournament, submit a request online via the Illinois Department of Natural Resource’s website, ifishillinois.org and click on “Apply For a Fishing Tournament.” Approval for tournaments will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend requests for tournaments be submitted many months in advance in order to secure dates during the boating season.

Once confirmation and approval of your tournament is complete, a tournament pass must be picked up from CWLP’s Lindsay Boat Launch (217.786.4075), which must be returned upon conclusion of the tournament. All tournament boats are required to be marked with a ribbon tied to the trolling motor.

For more information, contact the CWLP Security Office at 217.757.8600 or IDNR at 782.6302 or www.idnr.illinois.gov.