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LAKE MURPHYSBORO
Lake Information
County: Jackson
Acreage: 145
Average Depth: 13.71 feet
Shoreline Length: 7.5 miles
Recreational Amenities
Boat Fishing? Yes
Boat Ramps? Yes
Boat Rental? No
Skiing? No
Swimming? No
Picnicking? Yes
Camping? Yes
Click on map for expanded view
Maps are not intended for navigation.
There are no zebra mussels in this lake.
Fish Stocking | |||
Year |
Species |
Size |
Count |
2021 |
Channel Catfish |
Advanced Fingerling 4 - 7" |
1450 |
2021 |
Channel Catfish |
Non-vulnerable 8 - 10" |
3600 |
2022 |
Channel Catfish |
Advanced Fingerling 4 - 7" |
2900 |
Additional information for stocking on Murphysboro, Lake
Fishing Outlook ( Full PDF Report )
Click here for a list of all reports.
Species |
Rank |
Fish Status |
Average | The bluegill population structure can only be described as average. During the 2022 fall electrofishing survey only a few bluegill over 7 inches were collected. No bluegill over 8 inches were collected. | |
Excellent | IDNR stocks 8-10” channel catfish into Lake Murphysboro every year. These annual stockings have produced excellent angling opportunities for 2-5 pound channel catfish. Fourteen channel catfish (12-22 inches) were collected in the 2022 survey. Site Regulation: 6 fish daily limit. | |
Good | Lake Murphysboro has a good crappie population consisting of both black and white crappie. Of the crappie collected in the 2022 fall electrofishing survey, 33% were over nine-inches in length and 5% were over 10 inches in length. | |
Poor | Flathead catfish are present in Lake Murphysboro and have been collected in the last 5 surveys. Two flathead catfish (30-36 inches) were collected in the 2022 survey. The largest weighed 23 pounds. | |
Excellent | The opportunity to catch bass over 15 inches and weighing 2–3 pounds is excellent in this lake. During the 2022 fall survey, 39% of the bass measured 15 inches or better. Eleven percent of the bass collected were over 18 inches. This lake receives more fishing pressure for panfish than largemouth bass. The 2021 and 2022 bass surveys were two of the best surveys on record for this lake. Thirteen bass over 4 pounds were collected with the largest weighing just shy of 7 pounds. This lake has a tremendous bass population. Site Regulation: 3 daily limit. | |
Good | The redear population shows more promise than the bluegill population. While not numerous, redear sunfish over 8 inches are present. A few redear sunfish over 9 inches were also collected. | |
Location: This lake is located within Lake Murphysboro State Park just west of Murphysboro in Jackson County.
Description: Built in 1950, this 145-acre lake has a shoreline length of 7.5 miles and a maximum depth of 36 feet. All boat motors over 10 HP must operate at no wake speed. There are three campgrounds within Lake Murphysboro State Park.
Additional Lake Information: No swimming allowed. There are two boat ramps available for use. There are no concessions at Lake Murphysboro State Park. 2 pole and line fishing only.
FISHING TOURNAMENTS: Tournaments are limited to a maximum of 8 boats.
FISH ATTRACTORS – A map of the Lake Murphysboro fish attractor locations can be obtained via email by sending a request to Shawn.Hirst@Illinois.gov
Site Regulations:
Largemouth bass: 3 fish daily limit
Channel catfish: 6 fish daily limit
Contact Information: Lake Murphysboro State Park 618-684-2867IDNR Fisheries Biologist, Shawn Hirst618-559-5009
There were 8 tournaments held on this waterbody in 2022.
| Species | Total Fish Caught |
| Largemouth Bass | 218 |
Top 5 Largemouth Bass caught on this waterbody in 2022 tournaments:
| 1 11.65 lbs | 2 7.06 lbs | 3 5.74 lbs | 4 5.48 lbs | 5 5.22 lbs |
Top 5 Total Tournament Weight of Largemouth Bass caught on this waterbody in 2022 tournaments:
| 1 | 87.45 lbs |
| 2 | 82.50 lbs |
| 3 | 69.38 lbs |
| 4 | 61.32 lbs |
| 5 | 46.96 lbs |
Multiple day tournaments are listed with * end date.
Interested in participating in one of these public tournaments? Contact us with tournament ID for more information.
| 2022-2023 Approved or Pending Tournaments | ||||||||
| Start Date | ID | Approval | Ramp Location | Bank/Boat Hook/Bow |
Max Boats | Species | Youth? | Open to Public? |
| March-19 | 23926 | Approved | Main Ramp Concession (8 boat maximum) | boathook | 8 | Largemouth Bass | No | No |
| March-25 | 23913 | Pending | Main Ramp Concession (8 boat maximum) | boathook | 8 | Largemouth Bass | No | Yes |
| April-22 | 23914 | Pending | Main Ramp Concession (8 boat maximum) | boathook | 8 | Largemouth Bass | No | Yes |
| May-27 | 23915 | Pending | Main Ramp Concession (8 boat maximum) | boathook | 8 | Largemouth Bass | No | Yes |
| June-24 | 23916 | Pending | Main Ramp Concession (8 boat maximum) | boathook | 8 | Largemouth Bass | No | Yes |
| July-29 | 23917 | Pending | Main Ramp Concession (8 boat maximum) | boathook | 8 | Largemouth Bass | No | Yes |
| August-05 | 23375 | Pending | Main Ramp Concession (8 boat maximum) | boathook | 8 | Largemouth Bass | No | No |
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