Pecatonica River

Smallmouth Bass

Good

Smallmouth Bass are most common in the lower Pecatonica River near the confluence with the Rock River around rip rapped areas, and further upstream in a few of the larger tributaries. A survey conducted in the summer of 2017 found small numbers of adult fish below the Krape Park dam in Yellow Creek, and in the Pecatonica River near Macktown Forest Preserve near Rockton, IL. However, the catch rate near Macktown was low (0.2 Smallmouth Bass/minute). The best fishing area for Smallmouth Bass is near the mouth of the river north of Rockford.

Walleye

Very Good

Walleye are stocked each year into the lower Pecatonica River and the upper Rock River to provide a quality sport fishery for this species. Fishing is generally good near the mouth of the Pecatonica River north of Rockford, and occasionally at the mouths of the tributaries, especially Yellow Creek. Walleye ranging in size up to and over the state record weight have been caught in recent years, and fishermen regularly report catching memorable size Walleye from the lower Pecatonica River.

Channel Catfish

Very Good

Catfish are abundant throughout the Pecatonica River and in the Sugar River, a tributary of the Pecatonica River near the Wisconsin border. An electrofishing survey done in 2017 found a catch rate of .3 fish/minute near the mouth of the river near Macktown Forest Preserve, but lower in other areas of the river. A hoop net survey from 2014 found that the average weight of collected fish was approximately 1.8 pounds, with the largest fish (3 and 4 pounds) collected near the town of Pecatonica and upstream near Winslow. The Sugar River also yielded several fish in the 4 pound range. The average size of the adult fish was 14" with 80% over 12" in length, and 29% of these were over 16", which bodes well for fishermen looking for quality fish. Flathead catfish were most abundant near Winslow, with the largest flathead catfish weighing 16.5 pounds.