Black Crappie

Black Crappie is a small fish that you will find in most Illinois lakes. The heaviest Black Crappie in the world only weighed 6 pounds. The Black Crappie has 7 or 8 dorsal spines. These are the things that look like bones found in the fin on top of the fish. The Black Crappie will have dark patches of spots randomly scattered along its body. At Carlyle Lake you can catch 15 Crappie in one day. This count includes the amount of White Crappie you catch as well. Each fish has to be at least 10 inches long to keep. It is recommended that when learning to fish, you aim for a Crappie.

Bluegill

Bluegill may be small, but they fight hard to make up for their size. You might find that your bait gets stolen when Bluegill are around. They will eat just about any bait. Bluegill have a black ear flap and tiny scales that cover their body. If you look at their body from side to side, they are fairly flat. High flood waters over the past few years have helped increase the Bluegill population in Carlyle Lake. Because of this, there is no limit on size or the amount of fish you can catch in Carlyle Lake.

Channel Catfish

Channel Catfish are quite large. They weigh about 40-50 pounds. Some Channel Catfish will sit at the bottom of the Carlyle Dam and feed off of all the smaller fish that swim by. The best way to identify a catfish is by their whiskers. They do not have scales, but skin. They have sharp fins along their body that can cut a fisherman's hand. There is no limit on how many catfish you can catch or on their size. This is not a fish to catch for beginners.

Largemouth Bass

The Largemouth Bass likes to swim in warm, weedy waters. It has a dark stripe that runs along both sides of its body from head to fin. Like the name suggests, it has a large mouth with an upper jaw found behind its eye. Largemouth Bass have to be at least 14 inches long and you can only catch up to 6 in one day. Bass in general are hard to catch and not suggested for a beginner.

Sauger

Sauger looks very much like a Walleye fish. They are closely related, but Sauger have spots on their dorsal fins and no spots on the bottom of their tail. These fish like to swim in deep water, so it is unlikely that you will find one as a beginning fisherman standing on a dock. Sauger have to be at least 14 inches long and you can only catch up to 6 in one day.

White Bass

The White Bass is silvery with 4 to 7 stripes that run along the sides of its body. These fish live for 4 years and grow to be about 18 inches long. White Bass feed in the early morning and late in the evening hours in a school of fish. They usually feed close to the surface so keep your eyes open for a glimpse of fish. There is no limit on how many White Bass you can catch or how long they must be. Bass are hard to catch and not for beginners.

White Crappie

White Crappie have the same size limits as Black Crappie. They must be at least 10 inches long and you can only catch a total of 15 per day. For every 4 Crappie you might find in Carlyle Lake, only 1 of those fish may be a White Crappie. These fish only have 5 or 6 Dorsal Spines and have stripes of dark patches along their body. Use a small hook and a bait like a minnow or cricket. It is recommended that when learning to fish, you aim for a Crappie.

Fish Flash Cards

Download your own Fish Flash Cards. Print the first sheet out on heavy paper like cardstock, then put it back in the printer to print the back side. You can print out one copy to use as flash cards or you can print out several copies to play Go Fish or Memory. Right Click Here and choose "Save Target As" or "Save File As" to download a PDF file of the Fish Cards!

Are you ready for the quiz?

Click the link to go to the quiz. There are 15 questions that come from the reading above. When you finish, the quiz will give you three options; "Review Quiz" will take you back through the questions, "Print Results" will open a window with the certificate you need to print to show completion of the lesson and "Finish" will take you to the next lesson. Follow this link to take the quiz now!