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Rend Lake: Crappie & Bass Mix, Cooler Midweek CT
Monday Sep 21 – Thursday Sep 24, 2026 · Rend Lake · bank, kayak & boat · Mon morning–Thu evening · times in CT
Rend still fishes like a southern Illinois pantry — crappie brush and bass edges share the same Mon–Thu window.
Midweek outlook
NWS Paducah / Rend Lake (NWS; pulled Sun Sep 20 evening CT): Monday (~85°F) — Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms (precip ~29%); Tuesday (~77°F) — Mostly Sunny (precip ~7%); Wednesday (~76°F) — Mostly Sunny (precip ~1%); Thursday (~76°F) — Mostly Sunny (precip ~0%).
Primary species this week: Crappie — Rend’s late-Sep angler effort often leans crappie on brush/channel edges; bass strong secondary.
Crowd: Weekday soft. No named trail event pulled for Mon–Thu.
Mon–Thuthrough Thu evening CT
Often stained — contrast baits.
Weekday soft. No named trail event pulled for Mon–Thu.
Monday
- A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy. High near 85, with temperatures falling to around 83 in the afternoon. North wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%…
- Clock times in CT.
Tuesday
- Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. North northeast wind 8 to 13 mph.
- Clock times in CT.
Wednesday
- Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. North northeast wind 8 to 12 mph.
- Clock times in CT.
Thursday
- Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. North northeast wind 5 to 9 mph.
- Clock times in CT.
Dam & current / Generator schedule cheat sheet
Live/provisional pulls Sun Sep 20 CT. Soft verify dam boards before you go — do not invent unit counts.
| Project | Observed | Generator schedule | How to fish it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rend Lake / Rend Dam USACE St. Louis | Re-check live pool before launch — Sunday pull may be thin. | No invented unit schedule. | Crappie brush/channel; bass on points/riprap. |
Schedules change — verify dam boards before you go.
How to fish it — Bank / Kayak / Boat
Bank
- North/south public banks — crappie docks/brush.
Kayak
- PFD; protected arms if wind.
Boat
- Graph brush piles; mark bait.
Ethanol-free fuel near this water
Pure-Gas.org E0 · near this water
Source: Pure-Gas.orgSun Sep 20, 2026 evening CT — verify at pump
Current prices (as of Sun Sep 20, 2026 evening CT — verify at pump) — may change; verify at the pump. No invented E0 pump prices.
- Pure-Gas.org — Mt. Vernon / Benton corridor — Mt. Vernon, IL · ~varies mi · E0price not listed — verify at pumpPure-Gas
Crowdsourced E0 identity; distances rough to pin. Call ahead. Gather notes in CT.
Lure box — Top / Mid / Bottom
Top
- Small popper for bass bycatch
Mid
- Crappie tube/jig
- Spinnerbait
Bottom
- Jig/craw
- Texas rig
- Drop-shot
Chartreuse/black/pink crappie colors OK.
Life stage + What's on the menu
Crappie on brush; bass transitioning.
What's on the menu: Shad/bluegill/craw.
Also hot / also in season
- Largemouth — Points/riprap — strong secondary
- White bass — If shad show
- Catfish — Secondary
Regs: Illinois DNR — https://dnr.illinois.gov/fishing.html — live-check; do not hardcode lengths.
Looking ahead
Cooler nights can pull crappie slightly deeper on brush.
Sources: NWS forecast grids; Pure-Gas.org E0 listings; agency pages as cited. Pin 38.0367, -88.9667. Drafted Sun Sep 20, 2026 evening CT · . Window times water-local (CT).