Kinkaid Lake

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Kinkaid Lake
Location	Jackson County, Illinois
Lake type	artificial
Surface area	2,750 acres (11 km²)
Average depth	39 feet
Max depth	100 feet
Shore length¹	92 miles
¹ Shore length is an imprecise measure which may not be standardized for this article.

Kinkaid Lake is an artificial body of water located in southwestern Illinois. Entirely within Jackson county, the lake is approximately 5 miles northwest of Murphysboro and 100 miles southeast of St. Louis.

1 History and Ownership
2 Features
3 Notes

[edit] History and Ownership

Kinkaid Lake was built in 1968 with an average depth of 39 feet, although the area near the spillway (on the northernmost tip) is approximately 100 feet deep. The lake encompasses of 2,750 acres (11 km²), which wind around the northwestern hills of Shawnee National Forest. The ownership of the surrounding land is divided among three entities; the Illinois Department of Natural Resources manages approximately 4,000 acres (16 km²), while an additional 5,000 acres (20 km²) are managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Kinkaid-Reed's Creek Conservancy District oversees the remaining 300 acres (1.2 km²).^[1]

[edit] Features

[edit] Natural features

Topography varies, from sandstone bluff formations to rolling hills surrounding the lake. In the rolling hills, oak and hickory trees predominate. Numerous flat contours are planted with prairie grasses, cool-season grasses, and wildlife food plots.

[edit] Camping

Picnic tables, shelters, charcoal grills and restroom facilities are provided at both Johnson Creek Recreation Area and Paul Ice Recreation Area. The second rest area also has playground equipment. Camping is permitted by the U.S. Forest Service, with locations at the Kinkaid-Reed's Creek Conservancy District and the Johnson Creek Recreation Area at Kinkaid Village Marina. Camping is not permitted on any property held by the Department of Natural Resources.

[edit] Fishing

Kinkaid Lake provides opportunities for those interested in fishing for largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish, walleye and muskie types of fish ^[2]. "Natural strain" muskellunges were first stocked at Kinkaid Lake in 1985, and the lake began producing fish up to 40 inches in length by 1990 (after only five years of growth).

In November of 1998, construction of a spilling retention barrier was completed. This device was designed to keep the muskies in the lake (should the waterway overflow the dam), but also offers the added benefit of keeping larger variants of walleye, bass, crappie, and striped bass from escaping.

[edit] Hunting

Statewide regulations for the state of Illinois govern hunting at the Kinkaid Lake site. Within state regulations and seasons, species commonly available for hunting are deer, turkey, squirrel, quail, rabbit, dove, and waterfowl.

[edit] Boating

Four boat ramps are available to the public with a full-service marina also available. No horsepower restrictions apply at these areas, although numerous no-wake areas exist on the lake for safety and other reasons. ^[3]