WHITTINGTON, Ill. — Ask any Illinois angler about fishing a tournament on Rend Lake, and they’ll likely say that simply catching a limit or breaking the 10-pound mark is enough to put you in contention. It’s always been a tough fishery.
But not this year.
The last few weeks have seen some truly unprecedented weights in local tournaments. Meaning, we could easily see the best Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine event in the lake’s history when the Illini Division opens its 2026 season on Rend this Saturday.
What to expect
Greg Mullins can only remember one or two 20-pound bags in his lifetime ever being weighed on Rend … until last weekend.
A 20-boat team tournament saw a staggering eight bags over 20 pounds hit the scales, and it took 26 pounds to win.
“I didn’t fish that event,” says Mullins, “but I bet there were a lot of disappointed anglers who thought they had the winning sack only to come in and not get paid.”
As unheard of as that was, Mullins said something equally as rare is the catalyst for the boom in fishing: There’s no water in the bushes.
Every year Mullins can remember, the lake level rises enough in the spring to flood entire forests of bushes. The fish then travel into the bushes to spawn, and anglers are left flipping the outer bushes hoping to pick off fish moving in or out, because going all the way in is nearly impossible due to the density.
“The water has stayed down this year,” Mullins said. “The lake is only a foot over normal pool, meaning there’s not an inch of water on those bushes. So, the fish can’t hide.”
Understand, Mullins feels the fish want to get on the bank and spawn, but they’re thrown off as to where to do it. So, they’re just milling around, trying to figure out what to do.
“I’ve only caught one fish in the last couple weeks that even resembled looking like it came off a bed,” Mullins said. “They’ve got their eggs and are so fat. They just don’t seem to be on beds, because they want to be hiding in those bushes. But they can’t. So, we can get to them now.”
There is also plenty of rock that Mullins said may come into play with power-fishing techniques. And the clear south end of the fishery might finally start to show fish on beds for anyone looking to sight-fish.
Baits to bring
Unless something drastically changes, this will be the first spring Rend tournament in decades where flipping bushes will not be the main pattern.
Instead, Mullins said spinnerbaits, vibrating jigs and shallow crankbaits will be the main players. He emphasized the importance of making the longest casts possible to reach water so skinny a boat can’t access it. He also advised anglers to pack some favorite soft plastics to flip any piece of wood cover they see in the water.
“I don’t care if there’s 6 inches of water on it; if I see wood in the water, I’m throwing a plastic at it, because it’s the only cover they’ve got,” Mullins said.
What will it take?
Across the last five years of BFL events on Rend – regardless of time of year – the best winning weight has been 16 pounds. A mere 10 pounds has won multiple events.
That won’t be the case this week.
“After last weekend, I really think someone will catch 20 pounds to win,” Mullins said. “There might even be multiple guys do it. I really do.
“I think you’re going to see more limits and a better quality of fish this event than any BFL in its history.”