Anderson Lake

Anderson Lake is located 12.5 road miles southwest of Havana in west-central Illinois.

Anderson Lake is a natural bottomland impoundment adjoining the Illinois River in the southeast corner of Fulton County. It is situated on the west floodplain of the river, and the Anderson Lake Conservation Area encompasses 2,133 acres and is maintained as a public fishing and hunting site. A levee was constructed in 1980 to facilitate waterfowl management. It separates Anderson Lake, which is 1,132 surface acres from Carlson Lake, which is 231 surface acres. Anderson Lake is a typical Illinois River backwater lake that is connected annually to the main stem of the river. The 9.1 mile gently sloping shoreline is bordered by button bush and bottomland forest. It is shallow, with a maximum depth of 5 feet at the spillway crest. The bottom substrate is a flocculent mud and the water clarity is usually turbid. The submerged rooted aquatic plants have been very limited since the late 1950s.

Commercial Fish Harvest — Commercial species are annually harvested under the contract system by individual fishermen. Activity periods are set by the site supervisor and district resource managers and are scheduled so as not to conflict with sport fishing or waterfowl hunting. During the fall 2013 commercial harvest, 49631 total pounds were removed. The Asian carp population has dramatically increased in the Illinois River and their full impact on the system is not known, but it is anticipated to be very negative on native species. The increase in competition for space and food at the bottom of the food chain will not help the sport fish populations in the backwater lakes of the Illinois river.

Sport fishing seasons and limits are uniform with statewide rules. However, during the waterfowl hunting season, boat fishing (electric motors only) is only allowed in a designated area near the boat ramp and fish attractors. Largemouth and smallmouth bass have a 12-inch minimum size limit on the Illinois river and all backwaters.