Jim Edgar State Park - Prairie lake.

[Illinois Hunt/Fish]

Not a crappie but still good eating.

[Kenny]

Nice! We have caught some pretty nice catfish there ourselves. And we love camping there. One of our favorite campgrounds.

[Banjomarsh]

I have caught many 2# crappies there, but not recently. It is a very nice campground and facilities.

[newmattoonguy]

I've never fished there. I've been going the last 5 years in November bow hunting. Very nice place.

[Kenny]

I have caught many 2# crappies there, but not recently. It is a very nice campground and facilities.

Banjo, how long has it been since you caught nice crappie there? All I can ever catch at Prairie Lake is very stunted dinks of both crappie and bluegill. I actually wrote the DNR about it and was very surprised when I got an email answer from them. They said they knew they messed up in their panfish management of that lake and were formulating a new plan for it. Later I was told by the campground host that they wanted every crappie that was caught to either be kept or thrown on the bank because the lakes were supposed to be managed for bass and muskie and they wanted the other fish out of there....very strange. The DNR originally had an 8 inch limit on bluegill and none were getting bigger than 4 or 5 inches, everything was stunted.

[clfarms1]

Kenny here is a link for a article about prairie at jim edgar http://www.prairiestateoutdoors.com/..._panther_creek
I don't think there are quote many 2 lb crappie in there.

[Kenny]

Kenny here is a link for a article about prairie at jim edgar http://www.prairiestateoutdoors.com/..._panther_creek
I don't think there are quote many 2 lb crappie in there.

Thanks Steve, that article pretty much sums it up. It was around 2004 when I was writing them and it hasn't gotten any better if you like to fish for crappie and bluegill like we do.

[Banjomarsh]

Kenny, The last time I caught the 2# crappie was late fall of 2012. I think I caught 12 crappies of 15 to 15.5" in three trips that fall and 7 or 8 big ones in the fall of 2011. Along with the big ones I would catch a dozen or so at 9 to 10.5". Last fall(2013) I just caught 8" to 9.5" crappie. I have had no luck finding them in the spring other than a few dinks. A friend of mine used to catch even bigger ones in early May while bass fishing, but he hasn't got any in the last few years. The state did not stock them, someone else put them in there when the lake was filling therefore, there is no size or creel limit on the crappies.

[Kenny]

Kenny, The last time I caught the 2# crappie was late fall of 2012. I think I caught 12 crappies of 15 to 15.5" in three trips that fall and 7 or 8 big ones in the fall of 2011. Along with the big ones I would catch a dozen or so at 9 to 10.5". Last fall(2013) I just caught 8" to 9.5" crappie. I have had no luck finding them in the spring other than a few dinks. A friend of mine used to catch even bigger ones in early May while bass fishing, but he hasn't got any in the last few years. The state did not stock them, someone else put them in there when the lake was filling therefore, there is no size or creel limit on the crappies.

Good job then. I can find the tiny ones but not the keepers. Guess I should keep trying.