State Rep. Paul Jacobs is reminding people that a ‘Fish Salvage Declaration’ has been issued by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) for Little Grassy Lake in Williamson County due to a site renovation project. The rehabilitation plans are for the dam and spillway of the 1,000-acre lake which is operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Fish can be salvaged from the lake through April 1, 2026.
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 of an estimated 65 feet of water will render the fish population in imminent danger of loss. Salvage may be conducted 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 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.
