Little Grassy Lake (Illinois)

History

Little Grassy Lake was built in 1940 as part of federal relief efforts surrounding recovery from the Great Depression. The surrounding hills, forested with oak and hickory trees, did not offer good farming potential, and the federal government condemned the farms to construct the lake.

In 1959, activity around the lake increased when the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) chose a land parcel near the Little Grassy dam as the site for its primary warm-water hatchery for the production of fish such as largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and redear sunfish for stocking. , 15.0 million fingerlings were produced annually.

The lake today

The Pine Ridge Boy Scout Reservation is situated on the Northeastern edge of the lake, almost a mile away from the dam. Until 2025, Little Grassy Lake was managed for warmwater fishing, with largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and crappie stocked and caught. There was a power limit on the lake, with motors restricted to 10 h.p. or less. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit was required for use of the lake. The campground and marina closed in late 2024 in preparation for the lake drawdown.

Little Grassy Lake continues to be IDNR's sole catfish hatchery. For catfish, the spawning and fish maturation process requires at least one year, with mature fish spawning on or around June 1; the fish take at least 13 months to grow to a "nonvulnerable" length of 8 inches (20 cm) and are typically ready for delivery to their new homes in July of the following summer. IDNR distributes Little Grassy catfish to 220 separate Illinois waterways.

A stretch of spillway directly below the Little Grassy dam, measuring 0.2 miles (0.3 km) in length, was a noted whitewater spot, rated at Class II-IV depending on spillway flow conditions. Prior to its closure, the spillway tended to operate during rain or snow meltwater runoff events in winter and early spring.

Drainage

After the United States Army Corps of Engineers condemned the Little Grassy Lake dam spillway in late 2024, planning began for an operation to drain the lake. Authorities stated that the 80-year-old dam and spillway “had aged beyond its engineered design life,” creating the possibility for catastrophic flooding should the lake remain bank-full. The operation was described as “a complete lake draw-down.”

References

References

1. {{gnis. 412344
2. . (April 9, 2025). ["IDNR issues fish salvage drawdown for Little Grassy Lake"](https://dnr.illinois.gov/press-release.31136.html). *[[Illinois Department of Natural Resources]]*.
3. "Shawnee National Forest" (7/12/07; U.S. Forest Service, Washington, D.C.), accessed July 21, 2007.[http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/shawnee/recreation/fishing/shawneelake/other/grassy/]
4. "Lakes and Marinas" (2007; Williamson County Tourism Bureau, Marion, Ill.), accessed July 21, 2007.[http://www.wctb.org/p/outdoors-fishing-lakes-marinas.php]
5. "DNR".
6. Joe McFarland, "The Unique Refuge", ''Outdoor Illinois'' XIX:3 (March 2011), pages 14-15.
7. Brenda Garver, "In the Company of Catfish", ''Outdoor Illinois'' XV:5 (May 2007), pages 6-8.
8. "Little Grassy Creek, IL" (10/11/05; American Whitewater, Cullowhee, N.C.), accessed July 21, 2007.[http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_3888_]