Carlyle Lake is the largest man-made lake in Illinois and so easy to get to from St. Louis, MO. With 24,580 acres of lake area, there are lots of opportunities to find just the right spot to snag a mammoth catfish or crappie. The lake was completed by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1967 and is stocked each year.
Carlyle Lake is fed mainly by the Kaskaskia River which also spills out at the southwestern end of the lake. The lake’s water area is almost rectangular in shape and features eleven boat ramps, camping areas, and cabins for your use or rental. All of these amenities make it easy to access some of the best fishing in Illinois. The north end of Carlyle Lake is more shallow and reaches only about 11 feet deep. South of the Burlington Northern Railroad bridge that crosses the lake at about the midpoint, the water is deeper and reaches depths of 35 feet before flowing through the spillway.
The lake boasts good catches of white bass, channel catfish, bluegill, carp, and crappie. The water at the tail of the spill way is said to have the greatest variety of fish in America! Anglers have caught as many as 32 different species of fish when fishing below the dam of Carlyle Lake. For the latest information on conditions and what fish are taking different types of bait, listen in to Al Croker’s weekly report. Al is a longtime fisherman of Carlyle Lake. 
Pack-up your fishing rod. Load up the boat and head-out to Carlyle Lake for a great summer fishing getaway.