Lake Decatur

Hey guys. I haven't posted on here for a year or so. I used to put on some posts about Ramsey an Vandalia lakes, but I just kind of forgot about it for awhile. Ramsey was on fire last year, with fish bigger that I had ever seen them. I really think it's because I posted on this sight. I posted a few years ago that the Ramsey lake was loaded with crappie, but all just under size limit. Wasn't long there were a ton of boats out there. Long story short, the pop went down and the sizes started going up! The population for crappie there is still really good, and now you catch slabs from 9-16 inches. They dumped a ton of Christmas trees in it, so people are fishin those like crazy.
Well, I got a new job and had to move north to Macon, IL. Lake Decatur is the closest to me. I've been researching the lake, and it seems like the crappie fishing might be pretty good there. Anyone ever fish there? Also suppose to have walleye....never done that before but sure would like to try. Don't need your spots or anything, but general info such as size of fish or what jigs/colors work best in these waters would be appreciated! Thanks!
And also a pic of what a normal day over at Ramsey was like last fall.

Decatur has some big crappie, but for me they're hard to find. The only visible structure there is to fish are rocks and docks. I've heard that people have christmas trees hidden around the lake, but you'd need some good electronics to find them. The lake is extremely shallow in most places. The bottom is mostly made up of mud, with rocks around the bridges. They're also in the middle of dredging the lake. In the spring, i've had luck around the bridge pilings and the rocks. If you're casting and retrieving, don't be surprised if you hook into a big hybrid.

Thanks a lot! Hey, nothin wrong with hookin a big hybrid! Do I need to worry about running my boat aground, or is it marked pretty well. Is it muddy alot because of being a river? Thanks for the info.

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Originally Posted by mbslabs33

Decatur has some big crappie, but for me they're hard to find. The only visible structure there is to fish are rocks and docks. I've heard that people have christmas trees hidden around the lake, but you'd need some good electronics to find them. The lake is extremely shallow in most places. The bottom is mostly made up of mud, with rocks around the bridges. They're also in the middle of dredging the lake. In the spring, i've had luck around the bridge pilings and the rocks. If you're casting and retrieving, don't be surprised if you hook into a big hybrid.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by thicks

Thanks a lot! Hey, nothin wrong with hookin a big hybrid! Do I need to worry about running my boat aground, or is it marked pretty well. Is it muddy alot because of being a river? Thanks for the info.

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I'd just keep your eye on your depth finder and you'll be alright. I don't think there's too many humps like shelbyville. And yeah I think it's because of the river.

If you're in Macon you should check out Sangchris and Taylorville. Both should be relatively close.

Send me a pm and i can give ya some great advice for decatur