Southern Illinois's Rend Lake: Outdoor Sports Available

Rend Lake, centrally located in Southern Illinois, has a little of everything for the visitor. There's fishing, boating, hunting, golf, camping, swimming, horseback riding, swimming, and plenty of trails for hikers and nature lovers.

The lake stretches 13 miles, sprawling over Franklin and Jefferson Counties in central Southern Illinois, a 90-minute drive from St Louis along I-65 to I-57 and south to the Sesser exit. US Interstate 57, which bisects southern Illinois above Marion, passes right by the lake, often snagging southbound weekend vacationers leading to Kentucky Lake.

Rend Lake is administered by the US Army Corps of Engineers which dammed the Big Muddy River in 1965 to create the lake, completed in 1971. Intended to provide water for surrounding communities, it filled up the river valley once trod by Native American hunters. Sometimes you find orange rocks at water's edge that mark the campsites on the ridges that at the time overlooked the now-submerged river valley.

Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park is surrounded by the Corps-maintained lake area occupying a peninsula that extends out into Rend Lake The state park includes the Rend Lake Resort complex which includes a marina, restaurant, and lodge.

Fishing

The second largest manmade lake in Illinois, 18,000 acre Rend Lake offers great fishing for largemouth bass, hybrid-striped bass, white bass, musky, crappie, bluegill, sunfish, and channel catfish. Record-breaking fish have been taken at Rend Lake on a number of occasions, with the 1984 record still standing for bowfin. A weekly fishing report is posted online at http://www.rendlake.com/pages/recreation/fishingreport.htm.

Commercial fisherman who harvest the lake at set times each year offer a part of their live catch for sale at Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park.

Boating

For boaters, there are numerous boat ramps at the lake and Rend Lake Marina.

Camping

There are seven locations offering 100s of primitive and modern campsites, including Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park. Campsites are first-come, first-serve. Reservations are accepted. Cost is $6 for primitive campsite, $15 for modern campsites which include electrical hookups, sanitary facilities, and shower buildings.

Naturally, there are plenty of picnicking facilities available, as well.

Swimming

Swimmers can visit North Sandusky and South Marcum beaches during the summer. A day use fee is charged for boat launch and swimming based on individual or carload. Those with a Corps of Engineers camping permit are exempt on those days for which the permit is good.

Hunting

Hunters are drawn by goose, white-tailed deer, wild turkey. squirrels, rabbits, doves, and quail. Waterfowl hunting is also popular, since Rend Lake has its own migrational visits by ducks and geese. The Rend Lake Shooting Complex is located in Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park.

Nature Lovers, Hikers, Equestrians

For those who prefer to just hike and look at the wildlife, they may see American bald eagles feeding at the lake during the late winter months when they migrate south from the northern states where the lakes and rivers they hunt are frozen over. Black pelicans also migrate through the area, as do cranes and herons. Besides deer, you'll also find plenty of raccoons, fox, opossums, as well as seasonal hunting favorites, turkey and pheasants.

There are 12 hiking trails, as well as trails for horseback riders.

Golfing and More

Adjacent to Rend Lake is the 27-hole Rend Lake Golf Course located just off I-57. The course includes restaurant facilities. Adjacent to the golf course is the Southern Illinois Arts and Crafts Marketplace with work from Southern Illinois artists and craftsmen on display. The neighboring course and marketplace are accessible from the I-57/Sesser exit.

Five minutes drive from Rend Lake is Benton which has a movie theater, plenty of shopping, and other facilities. There are also wineries located in nearby Benton, Whittington, and Mt Vernon.

There is a website with information on Rend Lake, including relevant regulations, maps, and more at http://www.rendlake.com/index.htm.

Special events

Special events include the 4th of July fireworks display near the Rend Lake dam.