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Press Release - Wednesday, April 09, 2025
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IDNR issues fish salvage drawdown for Little Grassy Lake
SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has issued a fish salvage declaration for Little Grassy Lake in response to rehabilitation plans for the Little Grassy Lake dam and spillway.
The Little Grassy dam and spillway structure has aged beyond its engineered design life, and a complete lake draw-down is necessary to initiate repairs. The draw-down will render the fish population in imminent danger of loss.
Salvage may be conducted from the date of the salvage declaration until April 1, 2026. Aquatic life may be taken by a person possessing a valid sport fishing license or a combination hunting and fishing license.
Legal methods for taking any species of fish shall include two pole and line fishing only; anglers may also take carp, carpsuckers, buffalo, gar, bowfin and suckers by pitchfork, gigs, bow and arrow or bow and arrow devices. There are no daily or possession limits for any species during the fish salvage declaration.
No fish may be cleaned on site, nor can any fish offal be dumped on the site.
Little Grassy Lake in Makanda is a 1,000-acre lake operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service located in the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge complex between Marion and Carbondale in Williamson County. IDNR manages the fishery at Little Grassy Lake through a cooperative fisheries management agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The rehabilitation operation is in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District through the formal Little Grassy Lake Dam Modification Study, which began on Sept. 10, 2024.
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