The City of Carlyle is extremely proud to host the IHSA State Bass Fishing Finals at Carlyle Lake.  The IHSA has made Illinois the first state in the nation to sanction bass fishing as a high school sport.  The 2009 State Finals were the first of its kind, nationwide! 

IHSA "Bass Celebration"

In honor of the first IHSA Bass State Finals in 2009, the City of Carlyle organized the "Bass Celebration."  We brought food, fishing tackle and gear retailers, FLW Outdoors, and the band South 70 to celebrate this historic event.

The 2010 Bass Celebration will be sponsored by Country Companies, Wired 2 Fish, Plano, and FLW

 

Bass Fishing at Carlyle Lake

At 26,000 acres, Carlyle Lake is Illinois' largest in-land lake.  Bass fishing at Carlyle Lake is a challenge for any fisherman due to its size and structure, but largemouth bass are absolutely catchable if you know how to fish the Lake. 

To help introduce Carlyle Lake to those who haven't fished it, the City is interviewing local bass fishing experts to help spread their knowledge on bass fishing at Carlyle.  In this series, the City has already interviewed three individuals for two articles.

Listen to commentary from Al Crocker, Carlyle Lake fisherman for 40 years and local fishing guide. Al is an expert largemouth bass fisherman and knows Carlyle lake like the back of his hand.

 Week One Commentary
 Week Two Commentary
 Week Three Commentary

We have a lot of other information available for download in a Google Earth file (KML) to help you learn more about fishing facilities and services at Carlyle Lake.  For information on the location of boat launches, click here.  Carlyle is home to bait and tackle shops, grocery and general merchandise stores, and gas/convenience stops, for which more information can be found by clicking here.   

 

Contact Information, Directions, and Parking

Contact Information

To reach the IHSA, visit them on the Internet by clicking here.

The IHSA has also developed a website, "The Future Fishes Here," dedicated to keeping the public updated on high school bass fishing in Illinois.

To contact the City of Carlyle, please call Bill Gruen, City Administrator, at 618-594-2468, or email him at admin@playandstaycarlyle.com. 

Directions

Carlyle is pretty easy to reach from anywhere in the State.  You might consider reaching the closest interstate to you, either I55, I57, I70, or I64.  Click here for text descriptions of directions. 

Click here for an aerial photo detailing the location of the Main Stage and Bass Celebration at the Dam West Boat Ramp, various streets, and locations of other activities. 

Parking

Click here for an overview of parking for the Bass Tournament.

Parking will be available for the general public along regular parking spaces on Lake Road and at the Dam West Spillway Park area.  Additional accommodations for parking will be made at the following additional locations: (1) one side of Resort Drive; (2) one side of Eula Mae Parkway; and (3) one side of Spillway Road; and (4) parking lot of the City Park, off of Lake Road, south of the dam.

Please look for temporary signs for guidance on permissibility of parking. 

 

Lodging

For information on Carlyle Lodging, click here. 

To visit the Carlyle Lake Front Cottages on the Internet, click here.

A certain number of campsites are being held back at the Dam West Campground (Army Corps) for the tournament.  The Army Corps at Carlyle Lake can be reached at 618-594-2484.  Reservations at all Army Corps campgrounds can be made by visiting Recreation.gov.

Information on regional lodging accommodations can be found by visiting the Tourism Bureau of Southwestern Illinois at their website or by calling them at 800-442-1488.

 

The Bass Fishing Finals is receiving sponsorship support from the following companies:  Country Companies, Plano Tackle Systems, Wired 2 Fish and
FLW Outdoors