Baldwin Lake, Randolph Co

[Rudeman]

Please include as much info as possible.

Date/Time
Weather conditions
Depth
Water temp
Topograhic details (points, drop-offs, humps, etc)
Type of cover
Water conditions

[Needemp]

03/20
Weather was cold and a little breezy. Bass started out in less than a foot of water roaming around cover. If I put my bait right on the cover, I didn't get a bite except from bluegill. But if I came near a piece of cover, I would fish within 15' of that cover and find a bass. After the wind got stronger and the air temps started dropping, the bass moved to the deeper water breaks and cover. They held to the first break in 6 to 8 feet of water. Some held on deeper water brush piles.

Water temp was 66 at the ramp and water clarity was less than a foot in some areas and almost 2' in others.

[IllinoisBasser]

Update from this past weekend. One 15lb drum on a crankbait. Water is down about a foot. 82 degree water temps. Same water color as always. Dirty.

Note to the IDNR. Drain this lake and start over!

[rangervic]

Last weekend
sunny. most of time.

windy as day progress. power plant making power.
70-74 temps. 82 at water outlet.
60-70 air temp

cold front moved in a day or two before so i wasnt too optimistic.
tossed allot of things. worked spillway hard with carolina rig, jigs, cranks, and dropshot. didnt tget a thing. spinner bait too. alot of cover in this area.

killed the drum under the bridge tossing cranks. was fun.

Lake was no where near what its talked up to be.

fished shallow early then moved to deeper water with fish shown on si. nothing. tossed lake fork white and gold creature bait with no prevail . tossed cranks and sppiner baits nothing.

fished a couple humps with no takers. one hump about 30 yard s from intake. nothing. worked it with plastics, spinner bait, and dropshot.

went back to briddge and caught a few more drum noticed batteries were worn out and left. think i have abd battery.

clarity was about a foot.

[Needemp]

I had it confirmed through a friend from his friend that works at the plant. There was a massive fish kill. Some of the workers, including this guy, had to go scoop up 3 dumpsters full of dead fish. They boiled them. They just restocked it w small bass and catfish but they are keeping tight-lipped about it.

Last year more than half my trips resulted in 16# my five best fish. 22# was my best day. This year I had one 19# day, and the other half dozen times I never had over 3 keepers. I caught at least a keeper every time, but nothing big like last year. Give it a couple years. Those fish will grow fast over there.