Unlike the previous day, this turned out to be an excellent fishing day.

I drove to Rend Lake, about 30 minutes south of my hotel in Mt. Vernon, Illinois stopping at a bait shop along the way for red worms, nightcrawlers, leeches, and some local advice. The shop owner—a friendly, heavily tattooed man—shared a bit of his life story and mentioned he was worn down and ready for retirement. I enjoyed the conversation, but after a few minutes I headed on, eager to fish.

Following a Copilot recommendation, I started at North Marcum Beach on the east side of the lake. I walked down the riprap to the shoreline and began fishing with a small Mepps spinner. The bite was immediate—I was getting action almost every five casts.

My first fish was a good-sized White Bass, followed by several Yellow Bass, White Crappie, a few Bluegill, and one small American Gizzard Shad identified later on iNaturalist. Every fish was caught on the same Mepps spinner.

After a while, two men approached and apologized before explaining that the area was technically closed to the public. They had opened the gate for their own activity and forgotten to close it, emphasizing that it wasn’t my fault. It explained the nearly empty parking lot, and I was simply glad I’d fished there while the bite was hot.

I then moved to Wayne Fitzgerrell State Recreation Area on the north side of the lake to try for catfish. Using a Santee rig for the first time—rigged with a sliding weight—I hooked two Channel Catfish. The larger was likely at least 20 inches long (about 4.5 lbs by estimate), making it one of the biggest fish I’ve ever caught; the smaller was probably around 3.5 lbs. I also landed a White Crappie and another Bluegill.

With the heat rising and a long drive ahead to Chattanooga, Tennessee, I packed up after about an hour. Rend Lake turned out to be a great stop: roughly 13 fish across seven species, with all but the Bluegill adding new entries to my 100‑species list.