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17211 Ridge
Lake Road
Charleston,
IL 61920
217-345-6490
Fishing Creel
Ridge Lake is home to one of the
longest running fishing creels in the world! Anglers are
welcome to participate in the creel by fishing at the lake
during open times each summer. All fish caught are measured
and weighed by Illinois Natural History Staff and read for
tags. This data is part of numerous ongoing studies on
bluegill, largemouth bass, and muskie populations.
Ridge Lake is open to the public for
fishing each year from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
weekend. Anglers are provided with rowboats free of
charge. Boats are available by reservation. Drop ins are
welcome and are subject to availability. Hours of operation
are Thursday through Sunday of each week from 2 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Ridge
Lake has fishing for largemouth bass, bluegill, channel
catfish, muskie and walleye, and anglers are allowed to keep
fish that are legal size. Regulations are a
14-inch minimum size limit for bass, walleye, and catfish, and
an 8-inch size limit, ten fish bag limit for bluegill. Muskie were recently
stocked and are small in size and fishing is catch and
release. Ridge Lake is located inside Fox Ridge State park off
IL 130 south of Charleston ( map ). For
more information, or to make reservations, contact the lake
during open hours at 217-345-6490 or email Matt Diana at
mattd@illinois.edu.
Staff
Matt
Diana - Fisheries Biologist /
Assistant Director
Matt's Homepage
Dan Oele - Resident Technician (and Rugby
the Dog)
Summer Interns are responsible for
running the creel in the summer. If interested in
employment opportunities, please contact Matt Diana at
217-728-4851 during the work week.
History
On April 17,
1941, the valve was closed at Ridge Lake making it the first
state managed water with the ability to control water level
and drain that was dedicated to research. The land was donated
to the Illinois Natural History Survey as a land gift to the
state from Charleston citizens. The original director
was Dr. George W. Bennett who used the lake to perform
research on species stocking combinations.
Initially the lake was stocked with 100 LMB adults that
spawned 38 broods for an estimated 76,000 total fry. It
was stocked again with 335 yearling LMB June 18, 1941 to prey
on fry and add to spawning crop following year. Ridge
Lake was opened for fishing June 17 1942 (through Oct
30). The lake became a two species fishery when 136
bluegill were added on June 27 and July13, 1944. The
fishing creel has run continuous since its opening in 1942 and
has been the location of numerous studies on fish
ecology.
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