Iroquois River

Description

The drainage area of the Iroquois River basin is 2137 square miles with 1240 square miles of that area being in Illinois. There are 11 named tributaries to the Iroquois River in Illinois, Spring Creek at 65 miles in length and Sugar Creek at 38.9 miles in length being the two largest. The mainstem Iroquois River is a relatively low gradient, slow moving river that is prone to diatom algae blooms in recent years.

Sugar Creek is the main tributary to the Iroquois River. It extends South and West through the towns of Woodland, Milford, Stockland and into Indiana. It is suitable for small boats most of the fishing season in the Watseka area. Sugar Creek is a volatile stream that is narrow in some places with very few straight runs making it prone to log jams and strong currents at times. It is not as clear as the Iroquois River, which is evident at the mouth of the two streams. Sugar Creek is great for blue and Channel Catfish, crappie, Walleye, Bluegill and Smallmouth Bass in some places upstream.

The Iroquois River at Watseka running upstream, flows West through the town of Iroquois and into Indiana all the way through Rensselaer. Upstream from Watseka provides excellent fishing, but can be difficult to travel far by boat. The river is narrow upstream from Sugar Creek and can become completely blocked by log jams. There are some places that can be fished from shore. Channel Catfish, crappie, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Bluegill can be found. The deep water around Watseka is especially good for channel cat.

The Iroquois River running downstream from Watseka is boatable most of the fishing season. After it picks up Sugar Creek the river widens. There are some sand bars that may make boating difficult when water levels are very low, but there is no blockage. The boat launch at the Plato Bridge provides boating all season. The Iroquois River picks up Spring Creek and Beaver Creek before it empties into the Kankakee River at Aroma Park and retires its name. Great fishing all year with the same fish listed above can be found in this part of the river from Watseka to Aroma Park.

Like the Kankakee, the Iroquois River has not been channelized and retains much of its natural beauty. This river provides an aquatic resource of 2,547 acres.

River Access: The Iroquois River is limited in the number of public access points it has to offer. The only public boat launch on the river is located at the northwest edge of Watseka. The lower parts of the river can be reached by traveling upstream from the public boat launch on the Kankakee River at Aroma Park. There are a few additional bridge crossings and roadside areas that are popular with local residents.