Fishing report
Lake Murphysboro Bluegill Fishing Report
Harrison, IL
Overall rating
Bluegill at Lake Murphysboro — 2026-11-11
Good · 73/100Best window: 5 PM (Excellent · 87/100)
- Season
- Fall
- Moon
- 7% illuminated, waxingWaxing Crescent
- Est. surface temp
- 67.4°F
- Pressure
- 29.72 inHgFalling
Est. water temp
67.4°F
v1 estimate from air temperature — not a sensor reading
In Bluegill's 67-85°F range
Air vs. last week
10°F warmer
75°F now vs 65°F this time last week
Measured air temperature at the nearest weather station — not water
Sun & moon
- Sunrise
- 6:33 AM
- Sunset
- 4:49 PM
- Moonrise
- 9:03 AM
- Moonset
- 6:11 PM
Sky, wind & pressureat best window · 5 PM
- Cloud cover
- 3%
- Precip chance
- 0%
- Wind
- 14 mph WNW
- Pressure
- 29.72 inHg Falling
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Modeled from live National Weather Service data as of Nov 11, 2026 at 3:55 PM CST, plus solunar and sun/moon times computed in-house. This is a computed report, not an eyewitness catch report.
A state fisheries survey records Bluegill in Lake Murphysboro.
Species context
Why this score
Good (73/100) for Bluegill: water is estimated at 67.4°F, inside Bluegill's 67-85°F optimal range. Best window: Dusk — boosts feeding activity by about 30%, one of their peak feeding windows. That hour also overlaps a minor solunar period. 29.72 inHg and falling pressure modeled about 5% above this fish's baseline. Moderate (10-20 mph) wind modeled about 10% above this fish's baseline.
What's driving the 5 PM score
Water temperature (67.4°F estimated) is doing the most for this score. The score gives up the most on solunar period — minor period, about 2 points below its best. The whole day is then scaled to 90% for cold front passing through.
- Water temperature · helping
- Light window · helping
- Solunar period · neutral
- Barometric pressure · helping
- Wind · helping
Show the numbers behind this
Water temperature: 67.4°F estimated
45 of 45 pts
Optimal range 67-85°F
Well supportedWater temperature governs a cold-blooded fish's metabolism, so it is the largest term in the model (Christie & Regier 1988). The figure is a thermal-lag estimate built from forecast air temperature and the time of year — not a sensor reading, and not this lake's actual measured water.
Light window: Dusk
30 of 30 pts
Boosts feeding activity by about 30%
Well supportedLow-light feeding windows are the strongest timing signal inside a single day. How much each window is worth is this species' own cited response, sourced in its model file, not a generic curve.
Solunar period: Minor period
3 of 5 pts
Not supported by testingPeer-reviewed testing of North American freshwater fisheries found no significant relationship between solunar values, lunar phase or lunar illumination and catch rates (SN Applied Sciences, 2023) — air temperature predicted catch better than any solunar table tested. It is shown because anglers expect it, and it is shown separately so you can discount it. We reviewed this evidence and cut its weight accordingly.
Barometric pressure: Stable (held neutral by the front)
9.5 of 10 pts
Modeled flat — no change from this fish's baseline
ContestedThe barometric effect is real to most anglers but small and contested in the literature — several of the species studies cited in this model report null results — so it carries one of the smallest weights here.
Wind: Moderate (10-20 mph)
9.6 of 10 pts
Modeled about 10% above this fish's baseline
Moderately supportedWind stacks forage on windward structure, but both the size and the direction of the effect depend on the species and the water, so it carries a modest weight.
Then the whole score is scaled
Season: Fall — ×1.00 (100% of the ungated score)
How catchable Bluegill are at this point in the year. This scales the whole score rather than competing with the factors above — a fish that is dormant this time of year cannot score well no matter how good the hour looks.
Weather front: Cold front passing through — ×0.90 (90% of the ungated score)
A multi-hour frontal pattern read from the day's forecast trajectory. Because a front IS a barometric event, it replaces the single-reading pressure factor above, which is held neutral — the barometer is never counted twice.
Those 5 factors add up to 97.1 of 100 points, and the two multipliers above take that to 87. The weights are tuning constants — solunar's was cut after peer-reviewed testing found no predictive effect, and the others are adjusted as we validate them — shown here rather than hidden so you can weigh them against your own judgement.
What this score does not know
- Water clarity. We have no source for it and do not estimate it.
- Measured water temperature. The figure in the breakdown is a model over forecast air temperature, not a reading from a buoy or a probe.
- Baitfish and forage activity.
- How much fishing pressure this water has had.
- Where the fish actually are. Depth bands are the species' published seasonal ranges, not an observation of this lake.
- What anyone actually caught. No catch reports feed this score.
Conditions read from the National Weather Service as of Nov 11, 2026 at 3:55 PM CST. Solunar periods and sun/moon times are computed, not fetched.
When best caught
It's currently fall. Bluegill typically hold 6-18 ft deep this time of year — at an estimated 67.4°F, this looks like a strong time of year to target them.
Current depth
6-18 ft
This is the seasonal depth band from the species model, based on this species' typical behavior, not this lake's actual structure.
Today's solunar periods
- Major: 12:12 AM–2:12 AM
- Minor: 8:33 AM–9:33 AM
- Major: 12:38 PM–2:38 PM
- Minor: 5:41 PM–6:41 PM
Best times
When do bluegill feed during the day?
Bluegill feed most actively at Dawn and Dusk, when activity runs about 33% above the daily average across all four light windows.
- Dawn1.30x
Boosts feeding activity by about 30%.
- Daytime0.80x
Suppresses feeding activity by about 20%.
- Dusk1.30x
Boosts feeding activity by about 30%.
- Night0.50x
Suppresses feeding activity by about 50%.
Hour by hour
Hourly bite forecast
| Hour | Bite score | Rating | Light | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 PM | 76 | Good | Day | 14 mph W |
| 4 PM | 76 | Good | Day | 14 mph W |
| 5 PM | 87 | Excellent | Dusk | 14 mph WNW |
| 6 PM | 71 | Good | Night | 12 mph WNW |
| 7 PM | 69 | Good | Night | 12 mph WNW |
| 8 PM | 69 | Good | Night | 12 mph NW |
| 9 PM | 69 | Good | Night | 12 mph NNW |
| 10 PM | 69 | Good | Night | 12 mph NNW |
| 11 PM | 69 | Good | Night | 10 mph NNW |
Where to find Bluegill right now
Typical Fall depth: 6-18 ft
Bluegill feed most actively at Dawn and Dusk, when activity runs about 33% above the daily average across all four light windows.
No depth survey or measurement is on record for Lake Murphysboro, so these bands are the species' published seasonal ranges rather than a reading of this water.
Best depth zones for Bluegill today
We have no surveyed depth contours for Lake Murphysboro, so we are not ranking depth zones rather than guessing.
Plan a Bluegill trip to Lake Murphysboro
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Other species on record at Lake Murphysboro
FAQ
Common questions
Are there Bluegill in Lake Murphysboro?
A state fisheries survey records Bluegill in Lake Murphysboro.
When do Bluegill bite at Lake Murphysboro?
Bluegill feed most actively at Dawn and Dusk, when activity runs about 33% above the daily average across all four light windows. Today's report above scores every hour of the local day against live weather for Lake Murphysboro, and shows what each input contributed alongside how well the evidence supports it.
How deep should you fish for Bluegill at Lake Murphysboro?
Typical Bluegill depth by season: Pre-Spawn 5-12 ft, Spawn 1-8 ft, Post-Spawn 6-15 ft, Summer 10-20 ft, Fall 6-18 ft, Winter 5-20 ft. These bands come from published fisheries data for the species, not from a survey of Lake Murphysboro itself.