Outdoor adventure lovers’ will get their fill of recreational activities at Rend Lake in Illinois, between Mt. Vernon and Benton off interstate 57. Rend Lake has 18,900 acres of water for prime Illinois fishing and boating, and more than 20,000 acres of surrounding land in Jefferson and Franklin counties on which to hunt, hike and camp.

Recreational boaters will find access to Rend Lake easy thanks to the Rend Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area’s 8 public access areas that provide launching ramps. Boaters take note: because Rend Lake is a fairly shallow reservoir with an average depth of less than 10 feet, boaters should always be on the look out for submerged and exposed stumps.

Rend Lake is very productive for both sport and commercial fish. Every species of fish found in southern Illinois can be found at Rend Lake, but the especially numerous and large-sized crappie and channel catfish are bound any angler, as are the increasingly popular hybrid striped bass.