Carlyle Lake is the largest manmade lake within Illinois with more than 26,000 acres of water and 11,000 acres of land. It is located just 50 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri. Carlyle Lake offers tremendous recreational opportunities. Regardless of your tastes, Carlyle Lake has something for you.You can go fishing for bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish, walleye, sauger, or more than 30 other species. The tailwater (below the dam) is the most productive fishing area in Illinois, producing 3,260 lbs. of fish per water acre. The state record flathead catfish and white bass have been caught in the spillway.Carlyle Lake is known as one of the top waterfowl hunting areas in the state. From Nov. - Jan. there is a contolled Pheasant hunt at Eldon Hazlet State Park. The Department of Natural Resources also provides opportunities for hunting white-tailed deer, turkeys, squirrels, bobwhite quail, rabbits and mourning doves. Trapping is permitted after the duck season.

Birdwatchers can view ducks, geese, bald eagles, ospreys, cormorants, and great blue herons, as well as numerous species of shorebirds and songbirds.Carlyle Lake is well known to sailors as one of the best and most challenging lakes for sailboats. The lake was host for the 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival Sailing Competition. There are sailing races almost every weekend through the summer. Boats and watercraft of all types are suitable for use on the lake.
There's swimming beaches, camping areas, including two state parks, golf courses, great restaurants, and the kind of friendly hospitality that's a prize catch indeed.
This web site will help you to plan a Carlyle Lake vacation, and help make your trip more enjoyable.

Lake description
Carlyle Lake was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1966. It was formed by damming the Kaskaskia River near Carlyle. It is the largest manmade lake within Illinois. The lake is 26,000 acres in size with a shoreline of approximately 82 miles. It is 3.4 to 4 miles wide and about 15 miles long. Maximum depth is 35 feet, with an average depth of 11 feet. The land bordering the lake is flat to gently rolling with partially timbered shoreline. Carlyle Lake is a typical open lake subject to changes in wind velocity or direction.
The lake becomes chemically and thermally stratified during the summer months. This is typical of most Illinois lakes. Generally, from mid-June to September, the dissolved oxygen level becomes quite low or non-existent below 12 feet. Thus, summertime anglers should avoid fishing below this level as few fish are found there during this period.
Winters are occasionally cold enough to put a solid ice cover over the entire lake and when this does occur, some fair to good ice fishing can be enjoyed in the upper portion of the lake.

Fishing knots
The average angler needs perhaps no more than three or four basic knots, but the knot can make all the difference between boating a big fish, or losing it. I suggest that you select only those few knots that are of the greatest use to you, and practice, practice, practice tying them until they become second nature to you. It is most important that you use knots that can be tied in an easily remembered manner. There is little point using a knot that can only be tied by reference to a book.
 

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